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Red Oblivion

In the new novel by Leslie Shimotakahara, the protagonist Jill Lau returns to her childhood home, thinking, “Hong Kong’s always seemed like this: the new trying to overtake the old, the old never quite disappearing.” In many ways, the familial tension at the heart of Red Oblivion (Dundurn Press) stems from the same issue. Jill and her sister, Celeste, are constantly trying to carve out new lives for themselves, in new corners of the globe, but are never fully released from the bonds of their family’s heritage.

Jill and Celeste were raised in Hong Kong and sent by their parents to school in Toronto—with the assumption that both daughters would return home afterwards. But the sisters are drawn to the chance to start fresh in Canada and choose not to come home. It is only when they receive a phone call from their father’s housekeeper, telling them that their father has unexpectedly collapsed and been rushed to the hospital, that Jill and Celeste must return to their homeland for the first time in years.

The novel was inspired by the author’s own experience learning more about her father-in-law’s mysterious past. Ultimately, the character of Ba took shape, Jill and Celeste’s father in Red Oblivion.

The product of a youth spent grappling with poverty and the ravages of war, Ba developed a ruthless work ethic and entrepreneurial drive in order to provide for his family while living in Guangzhou, China. He survived Mao’s Cultural Revolution in the 1960s and escaped to Hong Kong, where he enjoyed great success as a self-made businessman.

Or so Jill thinks.

But she slowly learns the disturbing circumstances surrounding Ba’s abrupt illness. Troubling photographs depicting the Red Guards (student-soldiers mobilized by Mao during the Cultural Revolution) had been mailed anonymously to Ba in the days leading up to his hospitalization. And the blackmail continues after Jill’s arrival.

Can the past ever really be buried? Is a fresh start really possible?

When her father refuses to divulge any information about his time in China, Jill begins to investigate Ba on her own, realizing that there are gaps in his story that she has never been able to fill: How exactly did he escape from Guangzhou and become so successful, so quickly? The reader knows as much—or rather, as little—as Jill does, and we are just as eager to piece together Ba’s history as our protagonist.

A story about life in contemporary Hong Kong as well as the region’s complicated history with mainland China, Red Oblivion feels particularly relevant to read in this current moment. Protests are still erupting in Hong Kong over the region’s relationship with China.

And although Ba’s past is unique to his particular place and time, Jill’s quest is ultimately a universal one. She is plagued by the questions that every child eventually wonders about: How well do we actually know our parents? What lives did they lead before we were born? And what implications do our parents’ pasts have on our own lives today?

Red Oblivion is a mystery; we follow Jill’s sleuthing across Hong Kong and China in the hope of uncovering Ba’s secrets. But it is also an exploration of complex family dynamics. Jill and Celeste adopted new behaviors and perspectives while living in Canada, which clash with the cultural values of Hong Kong upon their return.

Jill’s relationship with her father is already complicated by the fact that the formidable patriarch of her childhood has suddenly crumbled into a fragile old man in a hospital bed. It becomes even more fraught as she wrestles with two competing visions of Ba: the man she knew as a respected businessman whom she always strove to impress, and the man described by the blackmailer as a violent and vindictive revolutionary.

Rife with intrigues of all sorts, Jill (and the reader) can’t escape the ultimate truth. What kind of man was her father? And what might that mean about the woman she is now?

Red Oblivion is available for purchase.

Learn more about Leslie on her Author Profile page.

 

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Red Oblivion by
Genre: Fiction
Publisher: Dundurn
ISBN: 9781459745220
Nikki Erlick

Nikki Erlick is a writer, editor and lifelong reader. Her work has appeared on the websites of New York Magazine, Newsweek, Cosmopolitan, Harper's Bazaar, The Huffington Post, and Vox Media's The Verge. Her novel, The Measure, is scheduled for release in 2022 by William Morrow. Nikki currently works as a travel writer and digital editor at Indagare Travel. She graduated summa cum laude from Harvard University, where she studied French and Spanish literature and was an editor of The Harvard Crimson. She also received an M.A. in Global Studies from Columbia University. Her portfolio can be found at nikkierlick.com.

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