Daiyu believes she is cursed with heartbreak because of her name. After all, she had to flee home and survive in a city. Just as she finally finds stable work and looks forward to a bright future, Daiyu is kidnapped and smuggled to a San Francisco brothel. During a time when anti-Chinese sentiment sweeps across America, Daiyu must find strength within to escape the waves of unimaginable violence.

FOUR TREASURES is an extremely heavy read but an essential one. Set during the late 1800s during the Chinese Exclusion Act, Zhang imagines the lives of Chinese immigrants and their perilous situations based on true events. My heart aches for Daiyu when thinking of all she endured, but it also swells for her courage to do the unimaginable and stand up for her community.

On a side note, I loved Zhang's inclusion of Chinese words and the breakdowns of each character's composition. While it can be a bit jarring when Daiyu reflects on her situation and suddenly wanders to Chinese words, I appreciate the research and historical context.

Without revealing too much, FOUR TREASURES is a depressing read. I'm glad I skipped to the ending halfway through in anticipation of a sad ending; it prepared me for heartbreak. FOUR TREASURES is an impressive debut that resurrects a vital history of Chinese immigrants and Chinese Americans often swept under the rug.