Lily is haunted by memories-of who she once was, and of a person, long gone, who
defined her existence. She has nothing but time now, as she recounts the tale of
Snow Flower, and asks the gods for forgiveness.

In nineteenth-century China, when
wives and daughters were foot-bound and lived in almost total seclusion, the women
in one remote Hunan county developed their own secret code for communication: nu
shu ( women’s writing ). Some girls were paired with laotongs, old sames, in emotional
matches that lasted throughout their lives. They painted letters on fans, embroidered
messages on handkerchiefs, and composed stories, thereby reaching out of their isolation
to share their hopes, dreams, and accomplishments.

With the arrival of a silk fan
on which Snow Flower has composed for Lily a poem of introduction in nu shu, their
friendship is sealed and they become old sames at the tender age of seven. As the
years pass, through famine and rebellion, they reflect upon their arranged marriages,
loneliness, and the joys and tragedies of motherhood. The two find solace, developing
a bond that keeps their spirits alive. But when a misunderstanding arises, their
lifelong friendship suddenly threatens to tear apart.

Snow Flower and the Secret
Fan is a brilliantly realistic journey back to an era of Chinese history that is
as deeply moving as it is sorrowful. With the period detail and deep resonance of
Memoirs of a Geisha, this lyrical and emotionally charged novel delves into one of
the most mysterious of human relationships: female friendship.