When emerging storyteller Diane Wei Liang titled her new novel Paper Butterfly (2008, Picador, London, 248 pages), she gave a delicate name to a tense story about seething anger and lust for revenge. “You can’t always forgive. And there are some crimes you can never forget.”
Rather than a hero and a rival villain, Liang follows two tragic heroes. One is Mei Wang, a troubled Beijing woman at the helm of a technically illegal private-detective agency. The other is Lin, a young man jailed after participating in the famous student protests of 1989.
“ ‘Silence! You’re here to reform yourself,’ the guard yelled. ‘The first thing you will learn is respect. When you’re asked a question, you will answer. If you defy the People, the People will crush you. Do you hear?’
‘Yes, sir!’ the ranks of prisoners shouted in unison.”
Once released, Lin begins an emotional journey home and meets intriguing people along the way. There’s a freight-train engineer, who confides:
“ ‘I’ve never been to Beijing, but my father went once for a railway conference. He raved about it for years. He said Beijing’s so big you can walk whichever way you like and you won’t get out of it. The boulevards are wide enough for five buses together.’ ”
When searching for a missing pop star, Mei discovers a fragile paper butterfly. It’s an important clue.
“Big Papa Liu stopped talking, his eyes dim. The hair in his mole quivered. His fingers trembled as he tried to touch the paper butterfly lying on the table. ‘Spirits work in mysterious ways,’ he murmured.
The white-haired man grabbed his arm. ‘There are no spirits. That’s superstition. Haven’t the Communists taught you anything?’ ”
Readers catch glimpses of China’s prevailing corruption. “At once, Mei knew what kind of restaurant this was – a place where the police could eat for nothing. In return, they would warn the owner in advance of inspections.”
Deftly, Liang delivers vivid details that enliven her characters and scenes. Few authors do this better.
“Officer Grasshopper Yau, tall, coat-hanger shoulders, called the roll. A red star, small but highly polished, shone in the fur of his hat.”
“A young woman poked her head out of a door. Then, seeing only Mei, she poured a basin of dirty water beside a communal wall on which a notice had been painted: ‘Dumping Is Strictly Forbidden’.”
Moments of special insight illuminate many of the dilemmas in modern China. Often, these involve attitudes.
“Mei knew people like Mrs Tang. Communism was their life. In their world, people belonged to one of two camps: revolutionary and anti-revolutionary. Mei had always found it odd that her mother’s generation should have such a blind faith in the system. The more they suffered, the stronger their belief.”
Born in Beijing but now living in Britain, the author too joined the idealistic student protests that rocked China in 1989. Good fortune kept her safe, despite a deadly military crackdown.
In letters, Lin writes about the protests.
“The students weren’t causing trouble, I said. They wanted only democracy and freedom so that every Chinese could live a better life.
Grandpa said he didn’t understand democracy and freedom, but he knew what a good life was – one without trouble, turmoil or death. ‘You’ll be happy if you don’t expect too much of life. And it’s never worth challenging the Communist Party.’ ”
Yet the Chinese government’s real-life efforts to rewrite history invariably fail.
“The army had marched into Beijing and opened fire on the students on 4 June 1989…. This date had become a secret. The government never mentioned it, but Tiananmen Square was closed each year on the anniversary. No one talked about it. It was as if a chest had been buried underground and the key thrown away. But every so often something happened and memories as fresh as the emotions of that day soared inside Mei.”
Liang wrote two earlier books, Lake With No Name, her memoirs of the student protests, and The Eye of the Jade, a first novel (in 2007) also starring Mei Wang.
Most readers will wish that Paper Butterfly lasted longer to prolong their pleasure. But it’s the brisk and concise, yet vivid, style that makes them hanker for more titles by this author.
Approval rating: 81 per cent.
For more information: www.picador.com
(May 23, 2008)
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