Do not say we have nothing

About “Do not say we have nothing”

In a single year, the narrator's father left twice—first by ending his marriage, and second by taking his own life. The narrator was ten years old. Madeleine Thien's book follows an extended Chinese family across generations, focusing on those who lived through Mao's Cultural Revolution and their children, who participated in the Tiananmen Square protests. The story centers on two young women, Marie and Ai-Ming, whose relationship drives Marie's effort to uncover her family's history in present-day Vancouver. Her search reveals the experiences of her father, a pianist, and Ai-Ming's father, a composer, as they navigated China's political campaigns and redefined their lives as artists. Their stories and choices have lasting effects on the family across time.