How Much Of THese Hills Is Gold by C Pam Zhang

There is a lot of subterfuge in this book, and as is often the case when that happens, I am a little unclear if I followed it all. The story is set in the American West during a gold rush and focuses on a family whose roots lie in an unnamed country and a vague time period. Misdirection abounds here, but the grave tone seldom wavers. Eleven and 12 years old, respectively, when the novel opens, sisters Sam and Lucy are 3½ years past the loss of their mother when their father, Ba, dies one night. They are forced to leave, and Sam brings their father with her--physically as well as metaphorically he is a chain that keeps them both grounded as well as stuck. What there is of a cowboy narrative in this novel is put to rest by Sam, who is pushed into a male role by her father, and then settles into a transgender or pan gender sense of self. She is restless and violent, withholding of herself to her sister and the world. She travels the country like a ghost on horseback, but at the same time, she’s deeply afraid of being alone. There is a lot of pondering the meaning of home, time and storytelling itself. Death is not final here, but rather a transition as well. You will not read anything like this, and for that alone it is worth seeking out.