Inheritance Review

Inheritance relates the life of sisters Junan - beautiful and confident, and Yinan - plain but soulful.  The two share complicated feelings with each other even as their native China undergoes complex changes - Japanese invasion and Communist division. 

Without giving anything away, the heart of the story centers on the relationships between sisters, husband and wife, and mother and daughters.  The relationships are shaped not only by society, but also by generation.  The story explores these bonds, through the hopes, fears, betrayals, remorse, and forgiveness experienced by the characters.

Although this story is set in an action-packed time of World History, there is not a lot of action in the book.  The writing is much more personal and slow-paced.  Frankly, many passages that should have been climactic fell flat for me.  Often, the writing is so subtle that you miss what the fuss is all about.  A few times I had to go back and re-read a page because the dialogue didn't adequately express the depth of emotion that the character supposedly felt.  Confrontations were vague and didn't become real to me.  I didn't feel that I was a part of the story, and that was disappointing to me.

Overall, I do recommend Inheritance by Lan Samantha Chang simply because she is a gifted writer and the story showcases her elegant prose.  I didn't find the story or characters particularly compelling, but others may have a different viewpoint.