Novel Whore

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I’ve always been drawn to novels with strong mother-daughter relationships, probably because my relationship with my own mother has been so lacking (thank you psych degree), but what strikes me so throughout this book, is how each daughter is actually denied a relationship due to varying circumstances, and yet each is tied so securely to their mother.

Set in early 20th century china, the characters in The Concubine’s Daughter suffer through standard Chinese torture regiments including foot binding, working in the silk farms with substandard conditions that we Americans can barely comprehend, opium dens, and finally becoming a si-fu studying the Way of the White Crane. Chinese customs that seem so alluring from the outside, remind us of how many women have gone before us through a system that was determined to “cure” our evil souls by making us submit. Yet, in the end, each generation succeeds one step further than the last until at last we triumph. Feminism be damned, this is about finding our true selves, and recognizing that men, real men will always be our supporters, and we theirs.

But you want to hear about the juice don’t you? Of course. We are first introduced to Pai-Ling, a young concubine that makes the horrible mistake of producing a daughter instead of a son, a pretty big no-no in China last century. As she watches her daughter being buried alive, she commits suicide a bit prematurely, without realizing her daughter is saved by the lore of a white fox. And with this introduction the reader is treated to many more Chinese traditions with appealing themes like the dried penis of the wild horse, and two duck eggs that are placed in the expecting mother’s chamber pot to attract testicles in her unborn. That pretty much rocks, I wonder if I can buy a dried wild horse penis on Ebay?

As we get to know Pai-Ling’s daughter Li-Xia, we see a glimpse into the thoughts of a young girl that must grapple with being sold to a silk farmer, and being chosen as a concubine, all while falling in love with a “white foreign devil” she sees from afar. With conversations like “They have the private parts of a donkey that would split a Chinese woman in two,” how can you go wrong? You can’t.

Li-Xia the concubine’s daughter gets her prince, but not without a price. Li’s daughter Siu-Sing is sent off to protect her from a family blood feud, and in the tradition of her ancestors, must fight her own battles including being sold to an opium den where she has her first sexual encounter. After drinking “Buddha Jumps Over the Fence” (sounds way better than Sex on the Beach doesn’t it?) she is set in front of a full length mirror for the first time to enjoy the sight of her young body.

“In a trance, she watched Ruby’s long, rose-tipped fingers gently stroking the slight flare of her hips, urging her to turn herself to look at the flowing lines of her back, the strong swell of her buttocks. Siu-Sing stood transfixed as Ruby grasped her narrow waist, turning her to again confront the mirror. “See how very beautiful you are.” The slender fingers shifted lightly to her breast, the nipple tightening at the touch of a fingernail. The pleasure was so new to her she gasped in disbelief.”

The Concubine’s Daughter by Pai Kit Fai stirs sexual fantasy with classic romantic ideas in a tale that urges us to fight for true love. Fight for true love I will.

The Concubine’s Daughter: A Novel

Novel Whore Rating: 5 Notches on the Bed Post

Wine Pairing: Raymond Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2006

Available on: Kindle Wireless Reading Device