Like Spilled Water

by Jennie Liu

Overview

Nineteen-year-old Na has always lived in the shadow of her younger brother, Bao-bao, her parents' cherished son. Years ago, Na's parents left her in the countryside and went to work in the city, bringing Bao-bao along and committing everything to his education.




But when Bao-bao dies suddenly, Na realizes how little she knew him. Did he really kill himself because of a low score on China's all-important college entrance exam? Na learns that Bao-bao had many secrets and that his death may not be what it seems. Na's parents expect her to quit her vocational school and go to work, forcing Na to confront traditional expectations for and pressures on young women.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781541572904
Publisher:	Lerner Publishing Group
Publication date:	09/01/2020
Pages:	216
Sales rank:	779,287
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.30(h) x 0.70(d)
Age Range:	13 - 18 Years

About the Author

Jennie Liu is the daughter of Chinese immigrants. She has been fascinated by the attitudes, social policies, and changes in China each time she visits. She lives in North Carolina with her family.

Editorial Reviews

"After her grandmother informs her that her brother has died, Na rushes back from trade school to her home town to support her parents. Her brother had been the family's hope for a better life. All he had to do was pass the gaokao (the National Higher Education Entrance Exam), enter university, and become an engineer, doctor, or other high-prestige professional. But he didn't pass and, in despair, poisoned himself. Na feels that she must save her parents from destitution, even forsaking her own studies to marry someone who is more friend than boyfriend. But as she prepares to sacrifice for her family, she uncovers secrets that challenge her parents' story of how her brother died. Liu (Girls on the Line 2018) leads the reader in an exploration of the pressures placed upon young Chinese people in an age when accelerated economic growth collides with tradition. She shows how young Chinese women are expected to aid their families through marriage, while young men must excel in academics no matter the personal cost. Liu is careful never to judge overtly. Instead, she invites compassion rather than derision for the young women and men caught in a system that ruthlessly categorizes them. Liu has penned a powerful tale of a brave young woman who dares to question when others simply accept."—starred, Booklist

From the Publisher

2020-06-15
Na’s life at her vocational college in China ends when she has to go home and support her family.

Nineteen-year-old Na barely knows her parents, who work year-round in the city of Taiyuan. Even her younger brother, Bao-bao, became a stranger after joining their parents in the city to study for the National Higher Education Entrance Exam. Na’s modest freedom at vocational college ends when Bao-bao dies and she returns to live with her parents. As Na adjusts to being an only child, she looks through her brother’s possessions and begins to realize Bao-bao wasn’t the dedicated, high-achieving student she envied, and she has questions about the circumstances surrounding his death. Na’s feelings of jealousy regarding male favoritism and her limited future options inspire sympathy. She filters detailed depictions of filial piety, funeral rites, grief, romantic relationships, and parental support through a modern teenager’s perspective. While the depiction of traditional Chinese sayings and expectations, their impact on Na, and her limited awareness of mental health might be jarring to some Western readers, Na is likewise puzzled by the characters in Jane Eyre and their individual freedoms. Na’s character-driven story arc is stealthily subversive. The multigenerational cast is all Chinese.

Will lead readers through a quiet revolution. (author’s note, discussion topics) (Fiction. 14-18)

Kirkus Reviews

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