This is an atmospheric account of the taut relationships and constrictions that life as a social outcast bring when you are forced to spend a decade on board a barge community during the Cultural Revolution. Claustrophobic, touching and confusing in equal measure - it’s hard to comprehend the oppressive control that the Party has on ordinary people.
I ducked my head under the surface .... Trying to keep one step ahead of my father was hard, and the water offered no help. It was hopeless. I could stay in the water for ever, hold my breath until I drowned, and still I couldn't escape Father's watch over me.
