China Mountain Zhang

Slow, scattered, and compulsively readable.

In a near-future world, China is economically and culturally dominant and Mars is the new frontier. The United States is no longer an economic force and people there work and play and dream of living in China. But only genetically pure Chinese are allowed that privilege. Everyone else is denied the Middle Kingdom and must make do by emulating its culture, its fashions, and by riding its economic coat-tails.

The book is divided into chapters/sections that each follow different protagonists - three on Earth and two on Mars. The bulk of the narrative follows the titular character, Zhang but there is overlap between all of the storylines. None of these characters find much in the way of resolution and, in truth, not much happens with most of them. The conflicts are mostly (but not all) internal.

What elevates this book is McHugh's writing; it is evocative and her world-building is breathtaking. There is a melancholy and almost desperate feel to each character as they muddle along looking for improvement and envying others their status. With each step forward, they come to realize that, despite their advancement, there will be no escaping themselves. That seems to be the common thread here. It does not sound like very compelling stuff but, once I began this book, it was difficult to stop. China Mountain Zhang is not action-packed by any means but it is a very memorable and intriguing novel.