The Library of Legends by Janie Chang
This historical fiction novel also has elements of fantasy. It is set in China in 1937, as the war with Japan begins to have an impact on the safety of China's citizens. The point of view shifts between a few characters. One of them is nineteen-year-old Hu Lian, who is a scholarship student at Minghua University in Nanking, which was the capital of China at the time. The government has a strong belief that the students at universities from around the country are key to the country's future, and they begin to organize relocations of the students and professors into cities further from the front lines. Some students decide to go home, some choose to enlist as soldiers, but there are many who join the migration of their schools.
Lian has a secret, she and her mother took new identities after the death of her father and moved to a large city to get away from people who might know them. They didn't have a lot of money, but her mother spoke English and was able to use a typewriter, and that gave her opportunities to earn enough to cover their costs. Lian would like to go to her mother, who has told her that she is heading to a mission in Shanghai, but with Shanghai now in control of the Japanese, she isn't sure exactly where her mother might be, and she is convinced that waiting until she knows where her mother has settled and lets her know via the school will be the only way they can be sure to find each other. So Lian goes on the journey with her assigned group, consisting of students, professors, administrators, and staff who do things like cook their meals.
One of the professors is Professor Kang, the dean of literature and a recognized expert on classics of the Tang Dynasty. He dresses as a traditional scholar, in a long dark-coloured gown with a high neck. He is particularly interested in a set of volumes that contain folk legends and myths, known as the Library of Legends. Each student will carry one volume of the set and read the stories in that volume along the journey. They will also have to write a term paper on one of the tales in the book they carry. Lian has a volume called Tales of the Celestial Deities. Kang is another of the characters that we sometimes see the thoughts of.
Liu Shaoming, known as Shao, is a fourth year student who meets Lian after a bombing attack where they both took what shelter they could. He and his servant, a young woman called Sparrow Chen accompany her back to canvas and are part of the same group from the university. We also sometimes see his thoughts.
As the journey progresses, the travelers encounter hardships, from the danger of bombs and rough living conditions with limited food options, to political differences. They learn how to find footwear that will carry them on their long walk, and friendships as well as rivalries grow.
Lian and Kang learn that two of their fellow travelers have a link to a folktale in the volume Lian carries, "The Willow Star and the Prince" a story of love that continues over reincarnation after reincarnation, but has no happy ending. They also learn that the times have coincided with a exodus of the many gods, large and small, through the Gates of Heaven which are open to them for a limited time. As they ponder why this change is happening, they also see how it affects the world they are used to.
I really enjoyed the folktale aspect of the novel, and the way that only some people can see the gods in their true form as the move to leave the places where they've been worshipped and go home to where they came from.
I also liked Lian as she faced challenges with reason, looking for a way to be her own person, and not rely on others more than she has to.
A very different and interesting read.
