Hannah's Reviews > Letter From Peking

Letter from Peking is written from the perspective of a young American woman, Elizabeth, who has moved back to Vermont from China with her son Rennie. Her half Chinese, half American husband, Gerald, has chosen to stay in China, even under Communist rule, and from the letters he sends her, two things become increasingly clear. First, that he has come to value his country over her, and second, that they will likely never meet again. The story takes place when one day, Elizabeth receives what appears to be the last letter her husband will ever write for her again.

I thought that I loved Elizabeth's descriptions and dialogues and just overall as a character, it was really easy to sympathize with her and understand the situation that she's in. By the end of the book, though what happens to Garold is tragic, in a way, it feels like Elizabeth has also attained more freedom for herself and she's able to move on without any lingering feelings. I also genuinely loved how the book tackles this clash between cultures especially with Rennie's part of the book where his love for Allegra is rejected because part of him is Chinese even though it has nothing to do with his love.

Overall, I thought that this was a short, heartwarming read and I would recommend it to anyone who takes an interest in it.