Book Review: Snowflower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See

 

Lisa See’s Snowflower and the Secret Fan is a beautiful story of two best friends for life: Snowflower and Lily, and their struggles in 19th-century China.

 

Snowflower and Lily were once from vastly different socio-economic classes. Snowflower’s family was from the upper class and part of the Imperial Dynasty, but her family lost their status and fortune due to her father’s opium addiction. Lily’s family was lower-class and farmers, whose fate was to become part of the upper class through the perfection of her feet via the rites of foot binding. In spite of their upbringing, they were destined to be laotongs (best friends for life).

 

In order to be laotongs, the girls needed to be born on the same day and in the same year, have their feet bound at the same time, and be in the same class. According to Madame Wenn, the matchmaker and Snowflower’s aunt, Snowflower and Lily were perfect laotongs because each could teach the other proper etiquette for their marriages. So, they became laotongs at age 7 under the guidance of Madame Wenn after signing a contract stating that they would always stay close. Also, they learned to write in nushu, a secret language used only by girls and women to communicate with each other. Snowflower and Lily decided to use a fan and write in nushu to continue their communication as they matured, married, and raised their own children.

 

Throughout the book, See takes the reader on a journey of how gender and social classes were valued.

 

Being a woman was considered “useless” unless one married and bore healthy male children to continue the family name and business. Unfortunately, Snowflower’s first son appeared to be sickly and weak, whereas Lily’s first son was healthy and strong. Also, while Lily bore more children, Snowflower suffered several miscarriages after bearing a daughter. Lily pitied Snowflower for this and begged her to keep trying to conceive a son.

 

Not only was Snowflower considered “useless” because she bore a sickly son and had a daughter, but she was still of a lower class because her husband was a butcher. A butcher was seen as “unclean,” and as the lowest class one could be. Lily secured her status in the upper class by marrying the son of the best farmer in Tongkhou, and she became known as Lady Lau after her mother-in-law and father-in-law died. Both Snowflower and Lily’s marriages were overseen by Madame Wenn, who knew that Snowflower had to marry into a lower class after her father disgraced the family.

 

Several other themes are entwined in the book, including what is considered beautiful and desirable, as well as what real sisterhood means.

 

The most beautiful and desirable thing for women was to have perfect, small feet. To obtain this, young girls must endure months of foot binding and the breaking of their toes. This rite of passage, resulting in the perfection of a woman’s feet, is both cultural and traditional, a class distinction, and sexual. For Lily, her perfect small feet elevated her to the rich upper-class helm, and Snowflower’s perfect feet made her more sexually desirable to her husband.

 

After some time, Snowflower and Lily’s relationship became strained. Lily's indignation over her relationship with Snowflower and what she wanted from her caused a rift. She wanted the closeness that she had with her when they were growing up (laotongs were like close blood sisters, who did everything together, and marriage took a lot of that away). Snowflower eventually cut ties with Lily when Lily kept pressuring her to conceive. To Snowflower, the pressure to conceive made her feel “not good enough” in Lily’s eyes, so she befriended a group of sworn sisters (a tight-knit group of unmarried women who bonded in friendship). Lily became jealous and hurt when Snowflower told her that the sworn sisters accepted her for who she was. Lily became so upset that she publicly embarrassed Snowflower by discussing her private issues. With this, Snowflower returned Lily’s personal items, along with the fan they had used to communicate.

 

At the end of the book, Snowflower and Lily reconcile when Snowflower’s daughter comes to Lily to tell her that Snowflower is dying and is asking for her. Lily visits Snowflower and stays with her until she dies. After Snowflower dies, the truth about the relationship between Snowflower and the sworn sisters is revealed.

 

The truth about Snowflower's relationship is told by one of the sworn sisters to Lily. She tells Lily that the sworn sisters were Snowflower’s students. Snowflower taught them nushu, and they loved her as their teacher and listened to her without judgment. The sworn sister also tells Lily that Snowflower never stopped loving her. This revelation about Snowflower’s relationship with the sworn sisters and Snowflower’s unyielding love for her propels Lily to want to make things right with Snowflower. She is determined to help Snowflower’s family by arranging a marriage between Snowflower’s granddaughter and her own grandson. By doing this, Snowflower’s family will secure their place in the upper class once again.

 

Snowflower and the Secret Fan is an honest, beautiful love story about how women can face difficulties and remain resilient in a lasting friendship. Although this story is a historical fiction, it has a real contemporary message that women in today’s society can benefit from.