Wild Ginger

WILD GINGER: Anchee Min: Houghten Miffling Company: 2002: Fiction 217 pgs
Set in Maoist China during the Cultural Revolution, Anchee Min's Wild Ginger begins with two young outcast girls who find friendship as a means of survival. They live in a hostile environment where anything different is considered "anti-Mao" and can be grounds for death. Despite their intense bond, as the novel progresses their friendship is torn apart as Wild Ginger pursues militant Maoism and Maple follows her heart to love.
This book is a fascinating look at how Mao's reign affected every aspect of society; even the minutia of basic human relationships. It explores Wild Ginger's inability to allow her love for Evergreen (a local man and friend to both girls), while at the same time not fully embracing the emotional and physical isolation of complete Maoism. Both Maple and Evergreen are caught in this political fire storm that almost destroys them both. A heartbreaking book, WIld Ginger is about love and politics at a volatile point in China's history.

BES