Bookish Mewsings: Swimming Back to Trout River by Linda Rui Feng / The Memory Collectors by Kate Neville

The train that was delivering Junie to Trout River was just pulling out of the station and gathering speed, and already the compartment was filling up with cigarette smoke and the gregarious sound of sunflower seeds being cracked open. [opening of Swimming Back to Trout River]

Swimming Back to Trout River by Linda Rui Feng
Simon & Schuster, 2011
Fiction/Historical; 271 pgs
Source: Complimentary copy of the novel provided by the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Swimming Back to Trout River opens with Cassia and her five year old daughter Junie traveling to Trout River where Junie will live with her paternal grandparents. Junie settles into life there, and, when learning at age 10 that her father plans to return for her, Junie despairs at the idea of leaving her grandparents and the only home she remembers. Momo, Junie's father, dreams of the day he can reunite his family, both his daughter and estranged wife, and give his daughter a better life than she could have in China.

The author then takes the reader back in time, introducing Junie's parents, Cassia and Momo, more fully, as well as Momo's university friend Dawn. We get a glimpse into their childhoods and also how they met and what life was like for them during the Chinese Cultural Revolution, including the violence and oppression by the Red Guard, which changed all three of their lives irrevocably. They each faced hardships and heartbreak that would continue to impact them for years to come.

Dawn was the one who introduced Momo to the magic and power of music during their university years. The two had a falling out over the course their lives should take, but their love for music would stay with them always. Music is a theme that runs throughout the novel, whether it be a violin concerto or the melodic sounds of every day background noise. Cassia appears later in Momo's life, when he is working as an engineer and she a nurse. He falls for her right away, she more reluctantly. They give birth to a beautiful daughter, a daughter without legs, who they name Junie.

As Junie is being raised by her grandparents in China during the 1980's, riding on a wooden horse with wheels and ever curious about everything around her, the reader finds Dawn, Momo and Cassia in the United States, trying to make their own ways in the world. The author brings us a novel with hope at its center, amidst grief and loss, pain and suffering. The relationships between the characters as well as with themselves are central to the novel. It wasn't surprising to learn the author Linda Rui Feng is also a poet. Her writing is beautiful. 

The novel got off to a slow start for me, admittedly, but I was soon lost in the lives of the characters and felt a part of their world. While Junie's story is an integral part of the novel, I was most drawn to her parents' story and that of Dawn's during the time of the Chinese Cultural Revolution. I felt for each of them at various parts in the novel, angry on their behalf and wishing and wanting more for each of them while hoping for the best--that they would find their peace. I wanted that so much for each of them. There is a twist near the end that has left me a bit unsettled. I wish the author had gone in another direction, but it is her story to tell, not mine. Overall, I found Swimming Back to Trout River a worthwhile read. If you are prone to crying like I am, have a box of tissue handy. 

Challenges Met: 2021 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge & Spring COYER Challenge 

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The air beneath Evelyn's paper mask is hot and damp, and even though a shaft of sunlight from the open barn door reveals sawdust swirling in the air, she pulls the mask up to her forehead and allows herself a breath of cool air.  ~ Opening of The Memory Collectors

The Memory Collectors by Kim Neville
Atria Books, 2021
Fiction/Magical Realism; 400 pgs

Source: Complimentary copy of the novel provided by the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Imagine being able to hold an object and feel the emotions left behind by its previous owner. That is what it is like for Ev and Harriet. Ev has always felt this ability was a curse. It could destroy lives. As a result, she prefers to live without many belongings around her, moves frequently, and when searching for items to sell at Vancouver's Chinatown market, she will only sell items that give off positive or neutral emotions, not wanting to out any more negativity out there than already exists. She knows all too well what that negativity can do and how much it can hurt. While Ev is still at the beginning of her life, Harriet is at the end. She too can feel the emotions of the objects she collects, but instead of letting go, she holds onto them. Her apartment is full, her neighbors getting sick from the overabundance of emotions leaking from Harriet's home. 

When Harriet meets Ev, she knows the time has come to see her dream realized. Although reluctant, Ev agrees to help, desperate for money, and hoping Harriet might help her learn to control her ability better. The two women set out to create a museum of memory, one in which visitors will find their emotional wounds healed. When Ev's sister enters the picture, the fragile balance the two women have found begins to shift and they are all forced to face the past as old secrets come back to haunt them. 

While not a fast-paced read, more the type of book a reader will want to take their time to read and savor, I did find it hard to put down once I got into it. Both Ev and Harriet are clearly in pain, lonely souls, trying to survive in a world that often overwhelms them. Ev has a lot of edges and given her past, it is understandable. She and her sister grew up in foster care and because of her gift, Ev does not like to get close to anyone. Harriet has her own secrets she's kept buried and at the same time is very needy. It makes the two women's relationship contentious at times. While I never fully connected with either Ev or Harriet, I still felt for and rooted for them. My favorite character of all was Owen. I liked him instantly and continued to throughout the novel. He and Ev had built a sort of friendship since they were both scavengers. He is also an artist and I love that Harriet took him in to help with her project. He seems to bring a balance between Ev and Harriet. 

The Memory Collectors was not quite the book I expected it to be. The relationships between the characters play an important part, of course, but there is also mystery that I had not expected--at least not as it played out. Both Ev and Harriet need each other to help the other learn how to come to terms with and control their abilities. As Ev had learned as a child, the gift could be a dangerous thing. 

I liked the concept behind Ev and Harriet's ability to sense emotion of objects. It plays nicely into Marie Kondo's notion of throwing out items that don't bring a person joy on the surface of it. I couldn't help but think of my mom's last visit when we were talking about downsizing and what my brother and I might like to have of hers. We talked about how those items that hold memories are the most valuable to us. And memories are closely wrapped in feeling.  After finishing The Memory Collectors, I found myself holding certain items I picked up a little longer just to see if I could pick up any feelings from them. 

Challenge Met: Spring COYER Challenge

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