An absorbing novel of romance and revolution, loyalty and family, sacrifice and undying love.
We have three souls, or so I’d been told. But only in death could I confirm this…
So begins the haunting and captivating tale, set in 1935 China, of the ghost of a young woman named Leiyin, who watches her own funeral from above and wonders why she is being denied entry to the afterlife. Beside her … denied entry to the afterlife. Beside her are three souls–stern and scholarly yang; impulsive, romantic yin; and wise, shining hun–who will guide her toward understanding. She must, they tell her, make amends.
As Leiyin delves back in time with the three souls to review her life, she sees the spoiled and privileged teenager she once was, a girl who is concerned with her own desires while China is fractured by civil war and social upheaval. At a party, she meets Hanchin, a captivating left-wing poet and translator, and instantly falls in love with him.
When Leiyin defies her father to pursue Hanchin, she learns the harsh truth–that she is powerless over her fate. Her punishment for disobedience leads to exile, an unwanted marriage, a pregnancy, and, ultimately, her death. And when she discovers what she must do to be released from limbo into the afterlife, Leiyin realizes that the time for making amends is shorter than she thought.
Suffused with history and literature, Three Souls is an epic tale of revenge and betrayal, forbidden love, and the price we are willing to pay for freedom.
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Fabulous storytelling
We have three souls, or so I’d been told. But only in death could I confirm this …
We begin with an introduction to Leiyin and her three souls, watching her funeral from the rafters. All are wondering why she has been tethered to earth instead of making her way to the afterlife. Her three distinct souls:
Yang: masculine, stern, matter-of-fact, whose straightforward opinion is presented as taste to Leiyin.
Yin: feminine, romantic and impulsive, whose forgiving nature manifests as aromas to Leiyin.
Hun: the wise, logical and judicious voice of reason.
Her souls tell Leiyin that she is tethered to earth until she makes amends. We travel back in time to observe her life, first as a spoiled and privileged teenager, to new wife to a man she didn’t love and as mother to a daughter she fiercely loves.
Leiyin’s family is based in Shanghai, and their wealth has shielded her from the cold hard truth of civil war and social upheaval in Pre-World War II China. Leiyin hopes to continue her college education with the scholarship she has received and become a teacher, but her father is resolute that his daughter will not be part of the working class. When Leiyin meets Hanchin, poet, writer, translator and part of the left-wing Communist movement, she falls in love. Hanchin fills her head with notions of teaching the masses, and Leiyin defies her father, running away in an attempt to be with Hanchin and attend college. Her plan is thwarted and Leiyin is punished for her disobedience by marriage to a man beneath her station, banished to a small rural town.
Leiyin has nothing to help fill her lonely days. She misses her family, the shopping in Shanghai, salons and dinner parties. When she learns that her husband doesn’t read well, she begins teaching him. Once their daughter, Weilan, is born, she also becomes Weilan’s teacher . While still poor, contentment sets in as Leiyin realizes her in-laws treat her well, her husband does love her, and Weilan is the light of her life. Then Hanchin returns, and I won’t give away the remainder of the plot. There are enough unexpected and surprising events to keep you turning the page.
Along Leiyn’s journey, each slice of her life is observed in hindsight. She is no longer a participant, just an observer who sees things as they happened. This forces her to look at each slice with new eyes. Her three souls also lend their unique perspectives on dreams and disappointment, love in all its forms, betrayal, revenge and atonement. The essence of life and death.
Chang’s elegant writing was fluid, each story smoothly leading to the next. This was a great book and I highly recommend it. I’m not sure why it hasn’t been made into a movie yet.
This was Chang’s 2013 debut novel, and she has written two more since: The Library of Legends and Dragon Springs Road.
https://candysplanet.wordpress.com/
floating in post death, trying for rectification in a spirit realm.
What I liked was the thread of the story, with some history of the area and time period. What was disappointing was that the characters of the three souls were not well defined or developed.
It started so differently that it captured me. The way it approached culture and history was fascinating. Character development was thorough. The entire story was well constructed and tight.
I couldn’t put it down.