Forbidden City by Vanessa Hua was a unique read. It’s set in 1960s China at the height of the cultural revolution under Mao Zedong. Sixteen year old Mei dreams of nothing more than being the perfect revolutionary and soon finds herself selected to be part of a special group of girls in the Capital. She leaps at the opportunity to leave her impoverished village and begins plotting her way to success and infamy as Mao Zedong’s lover and protégé.
I was really intrigued by the subject of this book – in particular, the setting. 1960s China is not something I’ve read much about, and I was really interested to learn more about it. With Mei as a mistress, it was an intimate look at Mao Zedong – or, the Chairman – as he’s called throughout the book. Mei is intelligent, clever, and ambitious, and it was captivating to watch her journey from peasant to being in the inner circles of the most powerful man in the country during one of Communist China’s most tumultuous times.
However, I have to admit, I found myself a little bit lost. Not having much knowledge of this era of history – or Chinese history for that matter – I frequently felt confused and like I had missed something. For example, Mei ends up with a secret mission involving “the President,” and it took me way too long to figure out who that was, as he’s solely referred to as the President. There were a few spots that I also thought dragged a little bit.
The book is still very thoughtfully and tastefully written. It was easy to get through – not a long novel – but the subject matter was heavy. The Chairman and Mei’s relationship is, as one may expect, more than a little disturbing; some of their interactions are a little bit graphic. There’s also some violence towards the end. While not explicit, it was definitely uncomfortable to read.
I gave this book three stars. I couldn’t put my finger on what I didn’t love about it, but I just found myself wanting more out of it. It’s worth the read, but it didn’t quite nail it for me.
Jessica
Copyright Vanessa Hua and Ballantine Books. Image from Amazon.
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