Review: A River of Stars (by Vanessa Hua)

 My Rating: 4.5 stars

Those who live in Southern California may remember that several years ago, there was a huge boom in “birthing tourism” where pregnant women in China would pay a lofty sum for the “privilege” of traveling to the United States to give birth so that their babies would automatically get American citizenship.   The most notorious of the “maternity centers” that made these types of arrangements for the women were all located in San Gabriel, an area that was (and still is) home to a large community of immigrant Chinese.  Seven years ago, the largest of these centers (all operated by the same person) was raided and shut down after neighbors complained about noise coming from the property – authorities arrived to find that the center wasn’t just being used as a “hotel” tending to pregnant Chinese women before and after they gave birth, but part of the center was also operating as an unlicensed birthing facility.  I don’t remember the exact details of the news story now, but I think the owner / operator of the facility was merely fined a small amount of money and told to return the property to its original condition (there had also been illegal construction done where permits were never obtained) while the women who were in the facility at the time of the raid were all deported back to China along with their babies.  I have a friend who lived in the San Gabriel area back then, near one of the centers that had been shut down, and it was from her that I learned afterwards a lot of what went on in these centers and the conditions that the women who lived there faced.  The whole thing was huge news in the local Chinese immigrant community for weeks and had fueled a bitter debate amongst locals over the topic of immigration and the whole “birthing tourism” phenomenon in general. 

Based on the above, it should come as no surprise then that when I read the book summary for Vanessa Hua’s debut novel A River of Stars and found out it covered this exact topic of birthing tourism, I knew I absolutely had to read this book!   Going into this read, I thought I knew what to expect and for the first few chapters, that was definitely the case -- but then this book turned into so much more, to the point that I feel like I am short-changing the book by saying it is a story about birthing tourism and maternity centers alone.  Indeed, the story here goes much deeper than that – yes, this is a story about the Chinese immigrant experience, but it is also a story about identity, class and privilege, the economic divide between rich and poor, survival despite less than desirable circumstances (amongst other themes).   What resonated with me the most (aside from the immigrant experience and the setting in Southern California) though was the author’s exploration of motherhood and family – both of which, to me, were truly at front and center of the story more so than everything else that was mentioned earlier.  Through the fascinating characters of Scarlett and Daisy as well as the myriad of supporting characters who all play important roles in the narrative (Boss Yeung, Uncle Lo, Mama Fang, Viann, Old Wu, etc.), Hua didn’t just write a typical story about Chinese immigrants pursuing the American dream – rather, she gives us a deeply insightful, relatable, sensitive yet honest story that is at the same time culturally resonant as well as timely.  

This story is unique in that it has at its center two strong, spirited, determined, Chinese women who refuse to accept their lots in life and instead, strive to rise above their circumstances, overcome past mistakes, and carve out their own futures, yet are still able to maintain and evolve their cultural identities.  Being myself a female, born into a traditional Chinese family, an immigrant with one foot in the East and the other in the West, an active member in the global Asian diaspora -- I can’t convey enough how special the characters of Scarlett and Daisy were to me.  These are characters that I will definitely remember – deeply flawed, imperfect, vulnerable, yet at the same time strong, resilient, and inspiring.

This is a book I enjoyed tremendously, a story that hooked me from the first page, an entertaining read that was cheeky and fun yet also serious when it needed to be.  This book made me smile and laugh, yet it also made me shed a tear or two.  The writing itself was a bit uneven – I felt that some parts were overwritten while other parts could have benefited from more detail…. and I will be honest in saying that I’m not sure if I like the ending, which to me, the way everything was tied up, detracted a bit from the raw honesty of the rest of the story.  Regardless though, in the overall scheme of things, both of these were very minor flaws in my opinion.  Another thing worth mentioning is that the cultural references in the story – whether in reference to Chinese customs, traditions, beliefs, historical background, etc. -- were all spot-on!   The author Vanessa Hua in this case did not shy away from presenting the good and the bad, putting things out there as is and instead letting the characters and their stories speak for themselves.

One last thing – I didn’t understand the significance of the book’s title until I came to the part that mentioned the Chinese folk tale about the cowherd and weaver girl (a tale that I had of course heard many times as a child) -- which got me thinking about the story as a whole and the parallels to that tale despite the contemporary setting.  This made the story even more special for me.  Obviously, this book is one that I highly recommend – a story that is timely, relevant, and necessary given the world we live in today!

Received ARC from Ballantine Books via NetGalley.