Rating: G*

Lin Lin could be any immigrant, caught in the jarring transition from old
world to new. In The Chinese Violin, the little girl and her father leave
their pastoral home in China for a new start in Vancouver, Canada. Their
only solace in this bewildering and lonesome new world is the father's
cherished Chinese violin, soon lost in an encounter that brutally severs
their escape into memories of the past and confronts them with their
present, permanent reality. There are no miracles in this story - only
through hard work and determination does Lin Lin earn a new violin, and with
it, friends and a rightful sense of belonging.

The story is but one variation on the now familiar newcomer story. As befits
the story of so many, the plot is straightforward, the theme transparent,
and the scenery almost fable-like, despite recognizable Vancouver sights.
Illustrator Joe Chang created the original story as an animated short, and
his directorial skill is evident in the varied composition and focus of each
scene. Just as the film used only images and music, too, the characters in
the book play out an effortless pantomime: Chang's spare, sublimely
expressive lines animate the page-bound pictures, while characters express
anguish, woe and happiness with faces calling to mind the mime's
exaggerated, painted visage.

The words are far from superfluous, however. The illustrations speak mostly
to the universality of the immigrant experience; the words tell Lin Lin's
story. Short-fiction writer Madeleine Thien distills the experience into a
young child's remembrance, focusing on feeling rather than detail. She pays
homage to Chang's original concept by marrying his illustrations to words
full of sound, so that we hear in her narrative the peaceful countryside,
the frightening cacophony of the city, the warmth of cheers and applause.
Writer and illustrator thus establish a consonance carried through to
thoughtful design. The book well reflects Lin Lin's roots—the cover
reminiscent of a Chinese painting, "stamped" with seal-like squares at top
and bottom, the pages resembling rice paper and the font mimicking
calligraphic strokes. A thoroughly harmonious package, the book is a potent
reminder of the richness in our coexistence of cultures.

Thematic Links: Chinese, Canada, Immigration, Communication.

Cora Lee
Vol. 7, number 4
December 2001

*Rating System:
E - Excellent, enduring, everyone should see it!
G - Good, even great at times, generally useful!
A - Avarage, all right, has its applications.
P - Problematic, puzzling, poorly presented.