Under the Red Moon: A Chinese Family in Diaspora

by Amy S. Kwei

Kirk’s “Kwei chronicles a Chinese family through exile, homecoming and Maoism in this historical novel.” The three sisters of the Huang clan disperse during WWII. Golden Bell attends Syracuse University. Silver Bell attends a nearby American high school. Coral Bell, the youngest, remains in Shanghai, along with her mother, a concubine. The expat sisters return to China. Golden bell weds an industrial tycoon. Silver Bell marries an unscrupulous philanderer and mysterious manipulator. Coral Bell becomes a communist Red Guard. The three stories are intercut and eventually converge during the cultural revolution. Set in Shanghai, Hong Kong and New York between 1945 and 1968, the novel takes readers on a journey from the Nanking Massacre and Korean War to the Great Leap forward, English colonial rule in Hong Kong, and immigration to America. The silk thread that binds the story is the solidarity of these three strong, complex female characters that guide their family during their heartbreaking but ultimately uplifting struggle. A powerful saga of love and survival.” "A sequel of sorts to A Concubine for the Family, this novel further analyzes China’s shifts in the 20th century through the lens of one family. The writing is frequently striking ... the trials of the family are compelling and, at times, heart wrenching and leaves the reader with a new perception of the forces that shaped modern China. An absorbing exploration of mid-20th-century China through the story of a fractured family.

Genres: Historical Fiction

380 pages, Paperback

First published November 18, 2016

About the author

A graduate of St. John's University (BA) and Vassar College (MA). She is retired from teaching in Bennett College and Dutchess Community College. She has twice won the Talespinner Competition sponsored by the Poughkeepsie Journal. One of the judges, Michael Korda, commented: "Has a very strong cultural appeal, and gives the reader a quick, instant understanding of Chinese values, and how they differ from our own. As well, it is simply written, perhaps the best written of all the stories here."

Her short stories and essays have appeared in Prima Materia, Short Story International, CAAC Inflight Magazine, Westchester Family, Dutchess Magazine, The Country, and Dutchess Mature Life. Andover Green published one of her children’s stories in Six Inches to England: An Anthology of International Children Stories.

Amy's first full length novel: A Concubine for the Family was published in 2012 and has won critical acclaim and is well received. She is working on the sequel: Under the Red Moon.

Amy's recent photo essay on Josephine Fang was published in June 2014 in the 40th Anniversary magazine of the Chinese American Library Association (CALA).

Reviews

[Olivia "So many books--so little time.""]

This superb page-turner is the story of three sisters who live in Shanghai, Hong Kong, and New York between 1945 and 1968. I learned a great deal about Chinese history and culture and would recommend this novel to anybody interested in China.

[Emily]

I don’t know much about the rise of communism in China but I felt that this book taught me a lot. It is written from a Western perspective and so it is always mindful to consider bias. That being said there is no bias in war and violence. Trigger warning for this book: Violence and rape.

[Kelley]

Novel received courtesy of GoodReads.com First Reads Giveaway

Reading this book certainly pointed out my lack of knowledge of Chinese history. I had no idea that the Chinese people have been subjected to such violence, starvation and the loss of their culture. This is the story of one family that tries to hold on to its Chinese culture and values while their country is ripped violently out of their hands and placed in the hands of the Communist Mao. While it was difficult to read, this book is a great way for us to learn about the history and culture of the Chinese from World War II until the late 60's.

[Joyce]

I received a free copy of this book through the Goodreads giveaway program and wish to thank the publisher. I did not realize until I received this book that it is a sequel to the book A Concubine for the Family by Amy Kwei. However, I did not feel like I was missing anything as I read the book. This novel focuses on 3 Chinese sisters (although one was a half-sister) in the Huang family and the different paths their lives took during the time period 1945 to 1968. It starts with the 2 older sisters, Golden Bell and Silver Bell living and attending school in Syracuse, NY. Golden Bell is attending Syracuse University and Silver Bell is in high school. They had both ended up in the United States through the assistance of a missionary after their family had to flee China and go to Hong Kong because of the father's involvement with the Nationalist Party. The lives of all 3 of the sisters diverge widely after both Golden Bell and Silver Bell return to China and are greatly impacted by the men they each marry. Golden Bell marries Yung, the son of a wealthy family and Silver Bell marries a man intent on making his way up the ladder in Yung's company. Coral Bell, the youngest, is the daughter of a concubine who was the personal maid to Golden Bell and Silver Bell's mother and ends up getting involved with the Communist Party.

Through the events of these women's lives, the reader is given a vivid portrayal of all the political and social changes that China goes through as a country---from the devastation by the Japanese to extreme poverty and the disasters of the revolution under Mao Tse Tung. Golden Bell's journal reveals her confusion and distress about the changes going on in the country which seem to be against everything her parents believed in. Through Coral Bell, the reader sees what life was life for the impoverished people of China and the horrors of the revolutionaries as they destroyed people and the land. This book gave me a fascinating view of a period of history in China and how it affected the lives of all different types of people.

I gave the book 4 stars instead of 5 stars because I felt the characters could have been developed more fully, especially Silver Bell.

[Tena]

I won a signed copy in a GOODREADS giveaway -Under the Red Moon: A Chinese Family in Diaspora by Amy S. Kwei - WOW!!! So much detail in this.... a well-written historical novel.

[Amy Kwei]

Just received a fabulous review from Australia for Under the Red Moon : A Chinese Family in Diaspora.

Amy Kwei’s sequel novel to ‘A Concubine for the Family’ is a masterful blend of family narrative and post-World War II Chinese history. Between the moving first chapters and the dramatic final ones the reader is led on a revelatory journey of young romance, hope for the future, terrible tribulations, stoic endurance in spite of enormous odds and a final rescue of most of the characters.

The dramatic history of family and country is accomplished by some heart-stopping writing and competent use of simile, for example, ‘the distant hills undulated like a mythical dragon racing alongside the train’ (page 227) and ‘like oil boiling inside a cauldron her emotions surfaced as if the suffering were alive within her again’ (page 335). I invite readers to find for themselves other examples of Amy Kwei’s fine writing; there are too many for me to list.
I found the blend of insights obtained from both the Confucian and the Christian traditions heart-warming and loved the inclusion of the enigmatic, therefore thought-provoking, poetry of Tu Fu. These quotes provide a sharp contrast to the platitudes of Chairman Mao which also feature in the novel.
It is a coincidence that I am writing this review in Sydney (Australia) during the celebrations of the Chinese New Year. The Opera House, Harbour Bridge and Town Hall are illuminated and fireworks adorn the sky. In a local paper I find the recipe for ‘Beggar’s Chicken’, the favourite dish of one of the characters in this novel. I read with interest that the chicken is cooked whole because this represents abundance and completeness. As in her previous novel the author’s interest in food and a love of cooking is apparent.
In the context of tasty, nourishing food I took note of the vivid descriptions of composting in Wei Village chapters. As a keen gardener and composter myself I know its value in the production of home-grown vegetables. In the particular cases being described the enriched soil provided nourishment which no doubt saved lives.
Once again I congratulate Ms Kwei on a great read. Jill Maneschi

[RSG]

Under the Red Moon is the stirring story of the Huang family’s confrontation with historical events during a tumultuous period in 20th Century China. Amy Kwei seamlessly interweaves Chinese history and culture into an exciting narrative that depicts the lives of three sisters who responded to the violence and chaos of the times in different ways.
The chapters depicting two of the sisters’ years as students in Syracuse, New York were especially interesting as they depict the girls’ transition from culture shock to adaptation to and appreciation of American life. Later, joining their half-sister in their homeland, the girls would ultimately make different choices in an environment vastly different than the one they had experienced as daughters of a cultured, “book fragrant” family. Their struggles to reunite their family make up the central theme of this book that is the sequel to A Concubine for the Family.
This is an absorbing novel with a suspenseful plot and richly detailed settings, giving the reader the rare opportunity to learn about Chinese heritage from a writer who was inspired by her own family history.

[Margo]

Beautifully written

While some sadness was contained in the ending of this book, I was very pleased to finally find out the rest of the story. I felt for the family for all their hardship and difficulties navigating a lot of cultural upheaval. Very good series and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

[Ellie Taren]

Well written, a excellent bit of history with clear and real story. I would recommend this book to anyone. Please read.

[Lise]

Disclaimer: I won this book on Goodreads. My actual rating wavers between three and four stars, so not a bad book at all, but I guess I would say since it spans eighteen years, and several points of view, it did not flow as seemlessly as it could have. From one chapter to another the story jumped as many as eight years with little preparation or background for what had gone on in that long interim, making it feel a bit disjointed and jarring. Not a huge criticism though. I did really enjoy the history, the culture, and the relationships. I really love it when the author includes extensive notes at the end, but you also get a detailed glossary and several more pages of historical background, futher illuminating the immensely complicated politics and how many other countries were muddying the issues in China. I recommend this to others who have enjoyed Amy Tan and Lisa See, of course, and history aficianados.

[Meg]

I had the pleasure of meeting the author at a luncheon that included a reading and a signing of the book. I teach Modern World History at the high school level and loved the personal story intertwined with the very important history. I am considering applying for a grant to purchase the books to read with my high school students.

[Sharon Stine]

I felt I knew the characters and was especially glad there is a second column.

[John Zhou]

Under the Red Moon captivates the reader by telling the turbulent saga of China. The book covers the waning years of World War II (“War of Resistance” to the Chinese), the Chinese Civil War, the transition from the Nationalist to Communist rule, and the events leading up to the beginning of the Cultural Revolution. Instead of overwhelming the reader with just the facts and figures of these historically momentous events, Under the Red Moon focuses on the intimate story of one family as it struggles to cope and survive. It is through the lens of this family that the reader can appreciate both the history and the human story of mid-20th century China.

Two examples of stories that grabbed my attention (spoiler alert). First, the book starts with Golden Bell and Silver Bell (two daughters) studying abroad in the US. Despite occurring in the 1940s, the difficulties the daughters faced in merging their Eastern upbringing with their Western environment should be quite familiar to readers with immigrant backgrounds today. Second, one might wonder why some of those who prospered under Nationalist rule (i.e., the foreign-educated, capitalist elite) did not flee the mainland as the Communists bore down. Under the Red Moon illuminates some of the reasoning.

There are many other stories within the book that are beautifully told. As in my case, I believe that the audience will not only be thoroughly engrossed but will also come away with a better understanding of China and the Chinese.