The Golden Land: An exploration of how heritage fits into the broader scope of a person

'The Golden Land' by Elizabeth Shick revolves around a young woman's relationship with her mixed heritage and the internal balancing act it engenders in a person who has lived the majority of their life in a foreign country. 

The story takes place mainly in Myanmar 2011, but its foundations lay in 1988 Burma and the political upheaval of the time, which forced the protagonist, Etta, and her family, to leave their homeland in search of a more stable and secure life. 

Etta and her sibling Parker's lives take a drastic turn after the death of their grandmother, which makes both of them return to their homeland and reconnect with their roots. Etta however goes on a much more personal journey as she reconciles her teenage memories with the relationships to real people in modern day Myanmar.

All of the above happens in the backdrop of rising political tension and lawlessness in modern day Myanmar. As someone who lives in Bangladesh and has seen the multitude of coverage about the Rohingya refugees, this novel provides a very poignant and uncensored perspective from the other side. 

The book is full of accurate historical facts and in a lot of cases gives much needed corrections and context to all the misconceptions and state propaganda that spews from the tyrannical powers that be. Everytime I came across a reference to a specific grisly event in the book, a quick google search revealed that the author's diligence and attention to detail about evoking those events was beyond reproach. 

Many times over the course of the novel, 'official versions' of events and stories are analysed in great detail to reveal the actual truth of the events that transpired. 

The Golden Land is a very good place to start learning about Myanmar's recent history and how it shapes the psychosphere of its citizens. Sandwiched in between these themes is a very personal journey of self-discovery and figuring out how the protagonist's heritage fits into the broader scope of the person she has become, including her entire life in Boston.

All of the above culminates in a very poignant passage "being Burmese is not a box to be opened or closed; culture is not hard and fixed but a function of the breath that passes through me day in and day out, an amalgam of everything I touch and experience, past, present, and future. Who I am, which parts of myself I choose to embrace and which to let go, is up to me."

Storywise, the hook that will keep you engaged is Etta's personal feelings, perceptions and the way her inner monologue evolves over the course of the novel. 

Originally from Newton, Massachusetts, Shick is an award-winning novelist whose creativity is influenced by living abroad for many years, including six years in Myanmar. She presently lives in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Shick's writing is smooth and fluid, with a fascinating focus on character development and plot development. She captures all elements in such a way that it feels like you're reading more than one book at once. It takes place in two time periods but also explores what happens when people have to make decisions about what they want to hold onto from their past.

Moving between Boston and Yangon, and the past and the present, the story brings two vastly different worlds to life, and explores the powerful attachment between two people (Etta and her estranged cousin) of contrasting backgrounds that endures beyond distance and time. 

Through vivid descriptions of pre-monsoon weather, shops, food, and everyday routines in both the prosperous and less savoury parts of the city, Elizabeth Shick successfully captures the essence of Yangon.

With its moving depictions of political turmoil and military rule, this novel is particularly significant and relevant to the ongoing troubles faced by the Myanmarese people in their struggle for basic rights and freedom.

The book is written in first person and as such is very easy to immerse yourself in; this is helped even more if you happen to be from South Asia. 

All the cultural intricacies and practices are portrayed in a very casual yet respectful manner, making it feel all the more real. This is a novel that's historically sure and culturally acute; it asks how much we must hold close, and how much we can't shed, however urgently we wish to.

Published by New Issues Poetry and Prose in December 2022, The Golden Land is available for purchase on Amazon.