Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See

This book reminded me of Memoirs of a Geisha. There are the obvious similarities: China, foot binding, oppression of Chinese women, men overvalued, women undervalued- but it was more than that. This was a page-turner for me but I can't pinpoint why, just as I experienced with Geisha. It's written with a very calm and composed tone. There is no real excitement or suspense, but for some reason- I couldn't put it down. This book has instigated alot of contemplation for me on the subject of 'old sames'. I have only one relationship that can compare. I would say that my sister and I are 'old sames'.
We have been through stages and phases that we don't even remember now. She has seen me at my ugliest possible moments and still sits beside me giggling and whispering. The only thing we have as far as the traditional Chinese methods of picking an old same is that our feet are the same size- though mine are infinitely uglier than hers!There are a lot of lessons to be taken away from this story. I find myself thinking of all the times I have been less supportive of my sister than I intended to be by imposing on her my own ideas of what is the 'right thing' to do. Additionally, considering the contract the girls make, this is probably something I should do for myself. I could build a mental contract of how I will view and treat not only my sister, but all of my loved ones. If they have loved me at my ugliest times, it is only right that I should be prepared to constructively and productively love and support them during theirs. Though that idea is an obvious one and one we have all thought about and even expressed during our learning of the 'golden rule' there is something about putting that code of behavior into a contract that seems more binding (no pun intended...).

You will find an official plot line description at:
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1103.Snow_Flower_and_the_Secret_Fan