Four Treasures of the Sky

Narrator Katharine Chin’s outstanding performance will have listeners weeping as they hear Zhang’s debut novel, based on actual events. When her parents are arrested and imprisoned in China, Daiyu is turned out on the street and passes as a boy to get by. When discovered, she is kidnapped and trafficked to the United States, where she experiences many instances of the injustice heaped upon Chinese immigrants and Chinese Americans in the American West of the 1880s. Chin’s youthful voice is well cast in this production; her Chinese pronunciations appear authentic, and her earnestness when narrating Daiyu’s perspective rings true. She makes excellent use of pacing and maintains strong emotions throughout. Particularly memorable are Daiyu’s anger at a fishmonger, outrage at unfair working conditions, fear that her secret will be discovered, and disappointment when she sees a man whom she has feelings for kiss another woman.