Love conquers all hardships

In 1994 journalist Xinran met “an old woman dressed in Tibetan clothing, smelling strongly of old leather, rancid milk and animal dung”. For two days, Xinran listened to her story. Sky Burial is the result of this meeting. The book’s nine chapters trace the life of that woman, Shu Wen, beginning when, as a 22-year-old Chinese medical student, she met her husband, Kejun, in Nanjing in 1954. After 1994, there is only conjecture. The cover blurb tells us that this is “a grand story of love, loss, loyalty and survival”; however, it is much more than that grandiose claim suggests. There is much in Sky Burial that is alien to those of us in cities who live life in the fast lane, rarely reflecting on the meaning of existence, members of a consumer society. For those who have dedicated their existence to “getting ahead”, Wen’s life might appear a wasted one. However, Xinran asserts its implicit value. Read Review

By Margaret Saltau