Book Review: Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress (Die Sijie)

by Jiayun

Set during the height of the Cultural Revolution in China, this is an amazing story about two boys and their struggles. Because their parents are labeled as "enemies of the government" in China, Luo and the author (the other character) are forced to a secluded village on a mountain. The government expects them to be "re-educated," which is a process where their minds are brainwashed. As these two teens become more and more depressed, they find sanctuary from foreign books. Although these books are illegal, they somehow read and educate themselves with these (read the book to find out how they find them!). As they are re-educated, they become friends with a beautiful seamstress.

Although this story is about the Cultural Revolution, it is also about the mental and physical growth of teenagers. And yes, this includes human sexuality - there are some implicit references.

I would recommend this book for anyone interested in Chinese culture and/or history. For people who are emotionally connected to book characters, this is definitely for you. For those people who have little time on their hands, like me, this book only takes about 3- 4 hours to finish!