How Much of These Hills Is Gold

Parts of this book were beautiful and thought-provoking, but overall it was so miserable the whole way through that I couldn't really enjoy it.

How Much of These Hills Is Gold has such a powerful and unforgettable beginning. It grabs a reader's interest and leaves them with some haunting images. The writing in these opening scenes is so vivid and strong. The bulk of the middle is comparatively dry in regards to story, through it's full of the same strong writing. The final section ties everything together nicely. I personally got really excited when I saw hints of East of Eden in the story's concluding chapters. I anticipated a parallel moment with Lucy and Sam in the brothel, but the story went in a different direction. This was probably best, since that story, the story of Cal and Aron, has already been written. (The similarity did make me wonder if this was a bit of a nod to Steinbeck, though????)

Two young Chinese American-born sisters are all that's left of a complicated family that fell apart amidst the aluring yet harsh gold-rush era of the Wild West. They are guided by the believes and dreams their parents bestowed upon them: old Chinese mysticism, the promise of gold and adventure, the bond of family. These believes often stay at odds with each other, as the girls needs to figure out where and how to claim their home.

The prose is lyric, the characters very memorable yet the narrative is slightly uneven. I wished the story would just be told in a more straight-forward way, as I really enjoyed to hear about Lucy and Sam's adventures. The book somewhat lost steam for me in the middle of the book, where it felt too meandering, and even introduced a new narrator. But it then thankfully returned to Lucy and Sam for a strong finish.

Debating between 3 and 4, as my experience of the book was so uneven across it.

I have never read anything like this before, it is truly unique. I listened to the audiobook and found myself extending my walk in order to keep listening. In the tradition of Mattie Ross from True Grit, we get Lucy and Sam, two siblings at the mercy of their parents' and the elements. Damn!
I loved this! I know I have been on a pioneer kick since shelter-in-place kicked in, and this one fit the bill perfectly.