Book Review: “How Much of These Hills is Gold” by C Pam Zhang

How Much of These Hills is Gold by C Pam Zhang

Zhang’s story is set in gold rush California, a time when people from all over the world were mad for one kind of gold, and heedless of everything else including family, animals, and the very land itself.  The protagonist sees little metallic gold, but does learn to see the golden grass of the hills, as well as to feel a connection to this, her native land.

The protagonists are some of the “others” called to the gold fields, Chinese and Mexican and Indian and, soon enough, mixes of many origins.  And, of course, Lucy is a girl becoming a woman.

By now everyone knows that most of the gold rushers ended up poor, and lived very hard lives.  Things were worst for “others” who could be victimized at any moment.  And, as Zhang shows, “otherness” was defined by the observer, regardless of reality.

Lucy’s family is Chinese American (though the details are not clear), and they are poor and beset by discrimination.  In this land of opportunity, they are robbed of every little gain, no matter how hard they work and suffer.  How could we not love her, even as we cringe at what life throws at her.

We also see different members of her family have significantly different reactions to these injustices, and approaches to dealing with the power of others over their lives.

The main thrust of the story is the mix of fantasy and reality that plays out in her head as Lucy grows up.  What is real, what is true, what matters?  What is family, what is home?  Much of this is magical thinking, even if harsh reality is never far away.

Overall, this is a rather sad story, hard to read in places. I wouldn’t say that there are any good answers to be found in this story.

---

1. C Pam Zhang, How Much of These Hills is Gold, New York, Riverhead Books, 2020.

 

Sunday Book Reviews