Love love loved this book by Lisa See.
It is about a unique relationship in 19th C China between two young girls who are "laotong" aka old sames.
The book focuses on their growing relationship and the way in which they communicate. Little known fact, there is a language in China, which is adapted symbols and relies heavily on phoentic interpretation that is the only language used exclusively by women.
Their language both binds and destroys the two girls' relationship.
Being a woman with a very close friend, who I now consider my old same, this book was extremely relatable. The (off)centre focus is a misinterpretation of their writing and how it dramatically changes their friendship.
I especially liked the contrast between Lily - who very much follows and wants to stay true to tradition and Snow Flower who is quite the opposite. It seems that Lily cannot understand this aspect of Snow Flower and tries to impose on her her style of thinking to solve her problems.
This book taught me a lot about Chinese culture in the 19th C, and also about how time may change but the dynamics of basic human relationships never do.
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