Book review: Eileen Chang’s vivid recreation of life in China in the 1930s
Chang has long been considered one of the most influential modern Chinese writers, and in this new translation she shows her deep understanding of the tensions between society and self, duty and love
by Eileen Chang
Anchor
3.5/5 stars
Half a Lifelong Romance is broad in its scope and exceptionally moving in its characterisations, painting a picture of life in China in the 1930s. The novel was originally published in serial form in Shanghai in 1950, under the name Eighteen Springs (Shiba chun).
Half a Lifelong Romance introduces a broad cast of characters as they struggle to breach generational divides and familial pressures in their search for love and genuine connection.
Shen Shijun, an engineer, falls in love with his co-worker Gu Manzhen, whose family has been forced to put personal dreams and desires aside to survive financially. Both families attempt to coerce Shijun and Manzhen into arranged marriages and careers to gain some semblance of security in a turbulent society. Chang effortlessly leads readers through a maze of deceits, lies and threats that threaten to pull the two apart in a novel that never loses focus or suspense.