How Much of These Hills is Gold: A Novel by C. Pam Zhang
Fiction suggested by Sharon
Historical fiction set in the California gold rush. The prose is just spectacular.
From Amazon – Newly orphaned Chinese-American children siblings Lucy and Sam are suddenly alone in a land that refutes their existence. Fleeing the threats of their western mining town, they set off to bury their father in the only way that will set them free from their past. Both epic and intimate, blending Chinese symbolism and reimagined history with fiercely original language and storytelling, a haunting adventure story. On a broad level, it explores race in an expanding country and the question of where immigrants are allowed to belong. It’s about the memories that bind and divide families, and the yearning for home.