Southern Rain
“Then we take both of them/And break them into pieces/And mix the pieces with water/And mold again a figure of you/And a figure of me/I am in your clay/You are in my clay.” Readers are told that Nanyu, the male protagonist, delivered these lyrics with neither melodrama, pathos nor romance.
This novel tells the story of two seekers of wisdom in the philosophies of men like Confucius and Mencius, believers in compassion, loyalty and justice. Seventeenth-century China is a time of turmoil and revolution, when the continuity of tradition is roaring toward change. The injustices of courtly ministers meet the rage of the lower classes. At this time, Ouyang Nanyu, a carpenter’s son, seeks his own intellectual destiny. He falls in love with a Buddhist nun, Daosheng, who possesses profound wisdom and a lofty intelligence. As they travel away from the capital of Nanjing after it is overthrown by the Manchus from the North, they meet many rebel leaders who are suspiciously cautious about leadership, and other leaders, like Wei Su, who are implacably corrupt.
Southern Rain is an action-packed novel of battles, escapes from enemies, and scenes of peoples’ vigilante justice. But it is also replete with numerous scenes in which philosophy and poetry are shared, contemplated, and celebrated. There is a curious consideration shown but not explained, that of the attachment and detachment that the two main characters practice when appropriate. The ability to completely listen and speak from a contemplative stance bears attention and results in readers’ awe and respect, even if the outcome of each scene is not what readers want. Southern Rain is truly wonderful historical fiction!
