Gold Boy, Emerald Girl, by Yiyun Li

This is a stunning collection of short stories, all of which focus on women at older stages of their lives, reflecting back on what was but also looking into what could be. The clash of traditional Chinese values with newer ideals and realities is written with a deft hand, subtly and smoothly. Li is wonderful writer, the kind that reminds me of the quote professing that fiction often speaks the truths that facts and non-fiction tend to gloss over. Everyone is lonely in these stories, but in different ways; we are given snapshots of their lives, some of them, while with others we are granted the decisive moment. A beautiful collection, this, one I would readily suggest to others.