PositiveThe Asian Review of BooksKan is a clear and straightforward writer, walking readers through her own life and that of her family ... In some ways, Under Red Skies is a Chinese version of a story told time and time again in Western markets: a young man or woman from the countryside reaches the big city where, due to their own moxie, they are able to break into an elite industry. It’s also a telling insight into the life of the local staff that supports much of the foreign reporting about China ... It can be striking how familiar much of Kan’s story sounds. Her time in rural and semi-urban China feels like it could have been a story told by someone a decade, or even two decades, older ... it’s hard to shake the feeling that Kan’s story is one that appeals almost perfectly to a Western audience ... perhaps best read as a personal story of one particular Chinese millennial ... Burdening Kan with being a spokesperson for all Chinese millennials may be asking too much of Under Red Skies which is, at its core, a personal story about growing up in the Chinese countryside right before the Chinese economy exploded, and one person’s determination to find a unique path for herself in an unfamiliar environment. That should be enough.
