Two Sparrowhawks in a Lonely Sky by Rebecca Lim

Title: Two Sparrowhawks in a Lonely Sky

Author: Rebecca Lim

Genre: Historical Fiction

Publisher: Allen and Unwin

Published: 29^th August 2023

Format: Paperback

Pages: 320

Price: $17.99

Synopsis: After their family encounters terrible hardship in rural China, siblings Fu and Pei must draw on all their resilience and courage as they embark on a dangerous journey towards a better life. A compelling and poignant children’s novel from the CBCA award-winning author of Tiger Daughter.

What if you were forced to set sail for a country that didn’t want you, to meet a father you couldn’t remember?

Thirteen-year-old Fu, his younger sister, Pei, and their mother live in a small rural community in Southern China that is already enduring harsh conditions when it is collectivised as part of Mao Zedong’s Great Leap Forward campaign that ultimately led to economic disaster, widespread famine and millions of deaths.

After tragedy strikes, and threatened with separation, Fu and Pei set out on a perilous journey across countries and oceans to find their father, who left for Australia almost a decade ago. With nothing to guide them but a photograph and some documents in a language they cannot read, they must draw on all their courage and tenacity just to survive – and perhaps forge a better life for themselves.

An unforgettable story of family, resilience and the complex Asian-Australian experience from the esteemed author of Tiger Daughter, winner of the CBCA Book of the year for Older Readers

~*~

Fu and Pei are living through post-war China as Mao Zedong’s Great Leap Forward in a rural community in the south with their mother. Their father has already left for Australia, and as communism and collectivism changes China, Fu and Pei’s mother makes plans for them as economic disaster comes. As Fu and Pei grow, things get worse, and food starts to become scarce and eventually leads to tragedy. As the state threatens to separate Fu and Pei, the siblings set out on a perilous journey across China – all they have to guide them is an old photo and the generosity of Cadre Ling and Sister Zeng to get to Hong Kong. Coupled with their courage and tenacity, Fu and Pei are determined to get to their father and seek a better life.

Family and #OwnVoices forms the backbone of this novel, pulling back the curtain on a part of history that is not often explored in historical fiction, and most importantly, through the eyes of the people who were affected the most. This story showed what happened beyond the facts and statistics, beyond the official records and gave the Great Leap Forward a human face through the characters. When the plans for Fu and Pei were revealed after the tragedy that led to them leaving China, I wanted to scream, because it was so unjust and unimaginable – part of me hoped that more people in their village, their collective, would help them. Yet it was Cadre Ling who came through for them. The main journey started about halfway through the novel, but it made sense to do this, as Fu and Pei needed to get to that point, and certain things had to happen to get to the point they left. I liked this because it set the scene and explained what was happening, so seeing it unfold helped give context and allows readers to understand what happened during this time in history. I liked that enough information was given throughout the narrative to let people know what was happening, but more was provided in the author’s note, allowing the story to flow without getting bogged down in facts or assuming that the reader already has the knowledge. Doing so ensured that the book worked as a story, as a way to introduce readers to something new, and to make people think.

Rebecca Lim doesn’t judge any way of thinking in this book, but she presents the situations and attitudes as they were back then. In doing this, she has ensured that the reality of refugees, racism, and the White Australia Policy is presented in a way that any reader can make sense of it, and in a way that fits with the setting of the story. I also liked that even though most people were not nice to Fu and Pei, having people like Miss Ewa and Mr Stevenson helping them was a good way to show that not everyone always follows the common way of thinking, that there are good people out there. And most importantly, showing that there are so many different ways of living, and believing in something, or understanding something makes readers think. There is no right way in this book, just what people have experienced or been taught, which I think Rebecca has done a good job of acknowledging. She has shown that racism and judgement are wrong, but that this can stem from how we are raised or what we are taught, and that is why diverse books and #OwnVoices books are important. They tell the stories that we need to know and that for years were ignored. I think these stories are important because they give more people a voice, and for anyone not part of the group at the centre of an #OwnVoices story, a chance to learn something new. Because when you don’t tell a story, everyone loses something. People aren’t heard and people miss out on learning and understanding. That is the power of stories – helping us learn, understand and be represented, and that is what Rebecca’s latest novel has done for me and what I hope it does for many other people.