AS THE EARTH TURNS SILVER

Early-twentieth-century racial attitudes in New Zealand form the basis of Alison Wong’s novel. Narrator Heather Bolton vividly brings to life the character of Katherine McKechnie, a widow struggling to care for her two children who falls in love with a Chinese man. Bolton competently narrates this story of romance despite the odds, ably imparting the tension between family members and between Katherine and society at large. Wong’s accounts of the extreme prejudice, which includes Chinese men being beaten and killed, are chilling but never gratuitous. Instead, they evoke the time period and provide depth and motivation for the entire cast of characters, making this a fascinating story. J.L.K. © AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine [Published: JUNE 2011]