“’It is our history that sets us apart from other families,’ Da Ge said. ‘History that sets others apart from us.’” Their Divine Fires by Wendy Chen is a multigenerational family saga that follows four generations of Chinese and Chinese American women as they navigate through personal loss and tragedy, social and political upheaval and much more. Spanning over a century, we follow our characters through a period of great political and social change in China – from the communist party and peasant revolts leading up to the Chinese Revolution, Japan’s invasion of China, the Cultural Revolution- to present day China and the United States. As the narrative progresses, we follow these characters and bear witness to their hardship, their strength and sacrifices and the consequences of the choices they make and the secrets they keep. The story begins in the southern China countryside in 1917 with ten-year-old Yunhong and is shared from the perspectives of the main characters across four generations. The story continues with Yuexin, Yunhong’s daughter in China. Yonhong, one of Yuexin’s daughters, emigrates with her family to the United States while her sister Hongxing stays in China and pursues a career in acting. In the United States, Yonhong’s daughter Emily, is motivated to explore the history of the women when she chances upon an old trunk, the contents of which tell a story of love, loss and family secrets. I loved the premise of this novel. The prose is elegant and I loved the symbolism and the vivid descriptions of the traditions as well as the setting in the first half of the novel. However, I wish the author had woven the significance of the symbolism of the shared birthmark more strongly into the narrative. The author depicts the complicated relationships and friction between the characters realistically, both from the perspectives of the characters concerned as well as those who observe them. The beginning of the story drew me in and I was immersed ( and invested ) in Yunhong’s story, which ends abruptly and we move on to the next generation with more time jumps, long gaps in the narrative and more telling than showing. The disjointed nature of the narrative that follows and the uneven pacing prevented me from connecting with any of the other characters in the story. Certain aspects of the story could have been explored more deeply and the fates of a few of the characters (who were important to the story) are only mentioned in passing as the narrative progresses. I read an ARC of this novel and am not aware whether the finished copy includes a Note on the historical context of this story. If it does, I believe your reading experience might be richer than my own. Though I wasn’t entirely ignorant of the political landscape of China which serves as a backdrop for this story, I felt that perhaps a bit more perspective or even a well penned Historical Note would have allowed for a better comprehension of the events that were defining moments in the characters’ lives, thereby rendering this short novel more impactful. Many thanks to Algonquin Books for the digital review copy via NetGalley and Brilliance Publishing for the ALC. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. (read less)

“’It is our history that sets us apart from other families,’ Da Ge said. ‘History that sets others apart from us.’” Their Divine Fires by Wendy Chen is a multigenerational family saga that follows four generations of Chinese and Chinese American women as they navigate through personal loss and tragedy, social and political upheaval and much more. Spanning over a century, we follow our (read more)