Helpful Score: 5
Once an esteemed investigator in Beijing, Shan Tao Yun spent years imprisoned before he is finally released provisionally. During the prison period, he found peace through interaction with imprisoned monks. Now living in the hills with Tibetan monks, he encounters a murder in a ruined temple. His involvement is coupled with his desire to protect those who gave him so much yet his past continues to plague him.
In this fictional tale, Shan finds his son, Tibetan treasures, thieves and murderers. It's a fascinating story that kept me involved to the very end. The plot is well constructed. I like Shan so much. This gentle man (author) respects Tibetan culture. When he finds his son he realizes that he doesn't know how to be father to an embittered young man who felt abandoned by both his parents. This is so much more than a mystery that I cannot help but recommend this read to others. It's so very good.
In this fictional tale, Shan finds his son, Tibetan treasures, thieves and murderers. It's a fascinating story that kept me involved to the very end. The plot is well constructed. I like Shan so much. This gentle man (author) respects Tibetan culture. When he finds his son he realizes that he doesn't know how to be father to an embittered young man who felt abandoned by both his parents. This is so much more than a mystery that I cannot help but recommend this read to others. It's so very good.
Eliot Pattison writes so that you don't notice it. He involves you so thoroughly that reading becomes effortless. That said, this book does not quite absorb the reader as much as his previous books. It is still far better than other novels of this type.
There's something distant and remote in Pattison's writing that makes it hard to stay involved in this story. In addition, he has a black-and-white attitude toward the Chinese/Tibetan conflict. The Chinese are nothing but brutal ignoramuses and the Tibetans are nothing but victims of oppression. If that's what you believe before reading this book, it will confirm your beliefs, for sure. It's too bad because I would have liked to see a more nuanced view of the Tibetan situation.
