“Daiyu to Feng to Peony to Jacob Li. When will I be me again? And if I become me again, will I know who she is?”

Four Treasures of the Sky tells the story of Lin Daiyu, a young girl born in a fishing village outside of Zhifu, China, and the serpentine journey of her life. The story feels naturally segmented into three parts, each corresponding to a location: her childhood in the fishing village, her kidnapping to San Francisco, and her double life as Jacob Li in Pierce, Idaho during the Chinese Exclusion Act. Each setting requires her to be a different version of herself for the sake of her survival, and Daiyu is forced to confront complex but familiar questions of identity and destiny throughout the novel.

The writing is evocative and full of strong images, with a touch of magical realism. Nothing drives me more crazy than a story I can’t pin down - I love beautiful, dreamy, surreal prose as much as the next reader, but there is nothing more irritating than when I cannot tell what the hell is going on. Four Treasures maintains an uncommon balance of mysticism that manages to remain grounded in the plot, with images and themes of calligraphy and Chinese folklore integrated into the narrative.

I do, however, believe the novel would benefit from some illustration or other accompanying visual element to help clarify some of the detailed descriptions of Chinese characters. I studied Chinese in school, but I felt it would be difficult for someone without a background to follow and it would be sad to miss out on the symbolism and images that the radicals bring to the narrative.

As a final note, the novel (at times very intimately and in great detail) addresses many violent and appalling situations, many of which come to no satisfying or happy conclusion. Unfortunately, this was the reality for many Chinese immigrants. Beware though: if you are the type of reader who needs everything cleaned up by the end and a “where are they now” epilogue for each of the characters, you won’t find it here. Poignant and haunting prose, and a powerful and brutal story about identity set in an often-overlooked era of American history? Read on.

TW: rape and sexual violence, violence and abuse, racism, torture, death, and sizeism/fat-shaming. Also, no quotation marks.

(Thank you to NetGalley and FlatIron books for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.)

3.1/5
Firstly, thank you to Netgalley and Flatiron for graciously providing me with an ARC!
Four Treasures of the Sky follows a girl named Lin Daiyu — the namesake of a character who dies of heartbreak in a famous Chinese folk story — as her life warps from a cherished childhood, to barely surviving off a stranger's kindness, to being kidnapped and sent to America, and her struggles there in a world completely removed from her homeland. The topic, context, and details were very thoroughly researched, which is commendable. Additionally, this is one of the first novels I've read that tackles the sinewy history of Chinese immigrants in America. Though there are graphic subjects discussed, the book was enlightening and made me want to learn more.
That being sad, there are two main things that made this read less enjoyable. First, the show-not-tell sentiment that elementary school teachers impress onto us as children could have been used more liberally. The narration basically tells readers with great specificity everything about Daiyu's life as tragedy after tragedy befalls, but it's difficult to relate with her when she's just... saying things. What she was feeling was not expressed in a way that the reader could connect to her, and Daiyu's emotions fell flat or came off as dramatic (even though given the circumstances she was going through, in no way were they unrealistic). In addition, I feel as if language-specifics could have been explained in greater detail. For example, there is a sentences that reads: "...the character for joy, 樂, how it cannot exist without a tree." The tree that the author is referencing here is 木, which forms the bottom of the character 'joy'. I don't think that might have been clear for an audience that has less comprehension of written Chinese.

I'll be honest: this is a very difficult book to read. The prose was beautiful, the characters were all well-written, but it was still hard to get through. The story is based on the typical experiences of Chinese immigrants to America during the 1880s and the Chinese Exclusion Act. Although this book is a tragedy, and I got way too attached to Daiyu, it sheds light on an era of US history that is often swept under the rug.

I loved the author's note on all her research and what prompted her to write the book. The theme of calligraphy woven throughout was a really neat touch.

Four Treasures of the Sky by Jenny Tinghui Zhang is a tough, but an important book to read. I learned SO much. I had heard of the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, but to live it with Daiyu and the other characters in this book was the real lesson.

If you enjoy historical fiction with a tough female main character you will appreciate this book. It is very dark and extremely hopeless in tone but Daiyu keeps going. I like books where I learn unexpected information and here there are a lot of references to calligraphy as an art form. The history and skills needed to create its beauty are about the only joys in our heroine’s life. There are also some old Chinese stories and myths and a discussion of how important her name is to her eventual fate. I loved Daiyu and was rooting for her from start to finish. This is a book that might make you cry. It’s quite devasting but our hardy heroine deals with all the misfortune that comes her way in an objective, detached manner. I wanted to adopt her! She is so hard on herself also and doesn’t expect much from anyone or life in general. So incredibly heartbreaking. I just felt such a yearning to mother her!
If you’re okay with an existential view of the meaning of life you’ll love this book. It’s so well written and researched.

This book reminded me a lot of Jing-Jing Lee’s How We Disappeared, but it is more brutal. I also recently read The Downstairs Girl by Stacey Lee. If you’re looking for a is a sweeter, softer consideration of the Chinese American experience that might be of interest. As I read it, I thought of how the main character, Jo Kwan, had it SO much easier than Daiyu, despite her hardships.

This book is real, raw and if you’re in the mood for that it’s a winner. I was and I thoroughly appreciated it even if I was devastated by it.

Nothing is sugar coated and the violence is palpable. You will see the ugly side of Americans. I was and I thoroughly appreciated it even if I was devastated by it. It is very well written and researched and is an excellent story. I appreciated the author's note. Don't skip it! This is so relevant to today and we all need to educate ourselves on Asian American history and its lasting impacts.

Thanks for the advance copy NetGalley, Jenny TInghui Zhang, and the publisher, Flatiron. Much appreciated.

Thank you to Flatiron and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

First off, as a reader of Chinese descent, I am so happy to support an author of Chinese descent. The best historical fiction novels uncover a forgotten part of history, and this book definitely did that for me. Although I had previously learned about the Chinese Exclusion Act and the influx of Chinese immigration to America during that time, I had mistakenly believed that laws at the time prevented Chinese women from leaving China. I had not known about the plight of girls and women who were kidnapped and sent to America to work in brothels. Thank you to the author for teaching me about this neglected part of history!

Four Treasures of the Sky by Jenny Tinghui Zhang is a brutal and unflinching historical fiction novel about a 13 year-old girl who is kidnapped from China and sent to America with other Chinese girls to work in a brothel. Eventually, she escapes and disguises herself as a boy so that she won't get preyed on by perverts on the street. She finds work and makes friends and allies, but she must also deal with growing discrimination and racism against Chinese immigrants that resulted in many instances of violence and death. The story definitely doesn't shy away from violence and sensitive topics, including sexual assault, so if you are triggered and/or would prefer not to read about these topics, you should take that into consideration.

Here is an excerpt from the beginning of Chapter 1:

"When I am kidnapped, it does not happen in an alleyway. It does not happen in the middle of the night. It does not happen when I am alone.
When I am kidnapped, I am thirteen and standing in the middle of the Zhifu fish market on Beach Road, watching a fleshy woman assemble white fish the shape of spades into a pile. The woman squats, her knees in her armpits, rearranging the fish so the best ones rise to the top.
...
The whole place smells wet and raw.
Someone yells about red snapper. Fresh, they say. Straight from the Gulf of Pechili. Another voice tumbles over that one, louder, brighter. Real shark fin! Boost sexual potency, make skin better, increase energy for your little emperor!""

Overall, Four Treasures of the Sky is a well-researched historical fiction novel that also added elements of Chinese myths, specifically in the form of a deity that shared Daiyu's name who talks to her sometimes. There is a lot to admire here, particularly the meticulous research that the author conducted in order to write accurately about the experiences of a Chinese girl in America during this time. Unfortunately, reading this book was not an enjoyable experience. I had to take off 2 stars because of the unrelenting violence and threats of rape that the main character experiences. Imagine if the Mulan movie, which had similar cross-dressing themes, ended with Mulan defeated by the Huns, never able to see her family again, and no happily ever after romance with Shang. Even if it was a historically dark and depressing time, I want to be able to feel hope or at least some happiness while reading a novel. Nevertheless, if you are intrigued by the excerpt above, or if you enjoy reading historical fiction, you can check out this book when it comes out in April 2022.