Description

Little Gods

Blending the emotional depth found in Home Fire with the innovative spirit of Asymmetry, this debut novel offers a lyrical and thought-provoking journey into the intricate layers of grief, memory, time, physics, history, and identity within the immigrant experience. It delves into the complex relationship between mothers and daughters, revealing how these connections shape our understanding of ourselves and our pasts. The narrative invites readers to reflect on the nuances of familial bonds and the weight of inherited legacies, all while navigating the challenges of cultural displacement.

The story kicks off on the night of June Fourth, when a woman finds herself alone in a Beijing hospital, giving birth. This pivotal moment marks the beginning of Su Lan’s unraveling, a brilliant physicist who has managed to bury her past until this very instant. As she grapples with what she refers to as the mind’s arrow of time, the narrative explores her internal struggles and the choices that lead her to this solitary moment, setting the stage for the profound impact her life will have on those around her.

Seventeen years later, Su Lan’s unexpected death leaves her daughter, Liya, to confront the silences and contradictions that define her mother’s life. Growing up in America, Liya travels to China, a land that feels foreign to her, to scatter her mother’s ashes. In this new territory, she encounters the memories of two significant figures: Zhu Wen, the last person to know Su Lan before her departure, and Yongzong, the father she has never met. Through these intertwined narratives, a multifaceted portrait of Su Lan emerges, revealing her as an ambitious scientist, a conflicted mother, and a woman whose past profoundly influences Liya’s sense of identity and belonging. The novel captures the essence of migration—both physical and emotional—while exploring the lingering effects of unfulfilled dreams and the fragile ties we maintain with our memories and histories.

Review

“A haunting debut about memory, history, and who we truly are.”  — Popsugar

“Weaving the past and present, Little Gods is a haunting tale of love, ambition, and family.” — Electric Literature

“Time sustains and ultimately devastates a brilliant physicist in Meng Jin’s ambitious, stomach-twisting debut, Little Gods…Weaving intentionally (and effectively) through decades of China’s past… Little Gods is both imaginative and deeply rooted in reality.” — Shelf Awareness