Undress Me in the Temple of Heaven (Gilman)

Susan Jane Gilman tells quite a story in Undress Me in the Temple of Heaven. I just read this book on a friend's recommendation. She said it reminded her of the two of us somehow, and now I understand her quick attempt at correcting how that may have sounded once I read the book.

The first thing I did with this book is remove the cover art. I read on public transportation and this just didn't fit the bill for me, but the nice plain red hardback worked just fine.

This is a quick read and Gilman certainly manages to keep you engaged and enjoying (or not enjoying, as it is in some occasions) her adventure. I really liked the time frame of the story -- the late '80s are distinct in so many ways that it makes it quite easy to recall exactly where I was, what I was doing, and definitely what I was wearing, when Gilman was traveling the world. Her writing style was interesting as well; she has a knack for being able to skip between narrating her memory with present day context and then suddenly putting you in her memory in first person.

Now I want to see China.