Comme un oiseau dans les nuages
by Sandrine Kao
Que savons-nous des secrets qui nous lient à nos ancêtres? Anna-Mei, seize ans, tient de sa mère ses origines chinoise et taïwanaise. Elle n'a pourtant presque aucun souvenir de cette mère, morte peu après sa naissance. Lors d'un concours de piano vital pour elle, Anna-Mei s'effondre, victime d'une angoisse venue de très loin. Sa grand-mère maternelle va alors lui raconter l'histoire fascinante des femmes de leur famille, car il est temps que les secrets enfouis soient enfin révélés...
Published: 2022
Originally written in French
Number of pages: 288
Recommended FSL Programs and Grades
Grade 10/11/12 French Immersion
Race/Ethnic/Geographic Information
Author: Taiwanese and Chinese ancestry
Characters: Chinese
Setting: France, China, Taiwan
Notes from a teacher-reader
Main discussion points:
inter-generational relationships
inter-generational trauma
mental illness & mental health
Chinese and Taiwanese immigration experience to France
Political history of China and Taiwan in the last three generations
COVID-19 pandemic lockdown
Publisher's page: https://www.syros.fr/comme-un-oiseau-dans-les-nuages-9782748530490.html
Content warnings: rape (mostly alluded to, some details on page), illegal drug use (marjuana mixed with alcohol and tobacco for minors), mental illness (presumably depression, main character is in a mental health crisis for most of the novel), death and grief, author also provides content warning on inside of the book.
Feel free to contact the teacher-reader, Leona Sudom at lsudom@cfis.com if you have questions about this novel.