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A review by jaymoran
Once Upon a Time in the East: A Story of Growing Up by Xiaolu Guo
5.0
I often imagine myself as a fern, growing in a cool climate under the filtered sunlight. Most of the time there is deep shade and plenty of heavy raindrops falling from the sky onto my leaves. These are conditions for flourishing - perfect conditions for ferns, and how they have lived for millions of years. Perhaps I could learn something from them.
In 2019, I read and fell in love with a novel called Village of Stone; it was the first book that I'd read by the author Xiaolu Guo. If you asked me to summarise how it made me feel, I wouldn't be able to translate those emotions into words, and to say that it moved me would be an extreme understatement. When I learned that it was a semi-autobiographical novel, I knew I had to pick up this author's memoir and see what she'd included as well as what she'd reserved.
Once Upon a Time in the East comes straight from the heart...a brave, honest, and moving account of self-discovery and the importance of art. Each section is broken up into fragments, which reminded me of the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, as though Guo had poured out the contents of her life story, mulling over it and putting it slowly back together again. She gives each poignant moment and piece of her history time to breathe, to sit with the reader as she explores how it affected her and allows herself to ruminate on what was pivotal for her and what matters to her now in hindsight as an adult.
Guo is wonderful at capturing the complexities of family, never veering into over-sentimental territory just for the sake of making something 'pretty' or 'nice. Her relationship with her grandmother and father stood out the most to me - Guo beautifully writes about the subtle, quieter acts of love that tend to go unnoticed at the time that they're happening but become more distinct and valuable over time, be it her father sharing books that moved him when he was younger or her grandmother buying her something sweet with money that she doesn't have. I found her difficult relationship with her mother interesting and startlingly frank at points to read about. I also have to applaud Guo for her bravery when concerning her experiences with sexual abuse and naming the man who assaulted her as a child.
Reading this memoir deepened my love of The Village of Stone so I urge you to read both if you haven't already, and I can't wait for her new book to come out later this year.
In 2019, I read and fell in love with a novel called Village of Stone; it was the first book that I'd read by the author Xiaolu Guo. If you asked me to summarise how it made me feel, I wouldn't be able to translate those emotions into words, and to say that it moved me would be an extreme understatement. When I learned that it was a semi-autobiographical novel, I knew I had to pick up this author's memoir and see what she'd included as well as what she'd reserved.
Once Upon a Time in the East comes straight from the heart...a brave, honest, and moving account of self-discovery and the importance of art. Each section is broken up into fragments, which reminded me of the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, as though Guo had poured out the contents of her life story, mulling over it and putting it slowly back together again. She gives each poignant moment and piece of her history time to breathe, to sit with the reader as she explores how it affected her and allows herself to ruminate on what was pivotal for her and what matters to her now in hindsight as an adult.
Guo is wonderful at capturing the complexities of family, never veering into over-sentimental territory just for the sake of making something 'pretty' or 'nice. Her relationship with her grandmother and father stood out the most to me - Guo beautifully writes about the subtle, quieter acts of love that tend to go unnoticed at the time that they're happening but become more distinct and valuable over time, be it her father sharing books that moved him when he was younger or her grandmother buying her something sweet with money that she doesn't have. I found her difficult relationship with her mother interesting and startlingly frank at points to read about. I also have to applaud Guo for her bravery when concerning her experiences with sexual abuse and naming the man who assaulted her as a child.
Reading this memoir deepened my love of The Village of Stone so I urge you to read both if you haven't already, and I can't wait for her new book to come out later this year.