This book was completed in December 2007 and has since been revised and refined five times. Its story is full of twists and turns and spans several decades, reflecting changes in the lives, thoughts, and values of people in small towns in western China after the Reform and Opening-Up.
In high school, the hero and heroine were deeply taken with each other but never found the courage to cross that final line, and so they missed their chance. Years later, after each had weathered the ups and downs of another relationship and marriage, they still held on to the purest feelings they had shared back then. When their marriages came to an end and they met again, their love was tested by a new environment, changes in their living circumstances, and everything else that came with them.
The novel portrays real life and explores the complications and confusion of family affection, especially love. It celebrates truth, goodness, and beauty. Its tightly woven structure, broad setting, clear narrative threads, and believable characters and inner lives make it an authentic reflection of marital conflicts in society. The prose flows smoothly, while its suspense and coincidences demonstrate the author's literary skill. The characters' fates and marital conflicts naturally prompt readers to think and even reflect on their own lives. Though love has long been a familiar theme in literature, different social backgrounds give it different shades. At a time when relationships and marriages in modern society are facing ever greater challenges, this novel has profound relevance. Its descriptions and character portrayals do more than entertain readers: they also serve as a wake-up call. The desire to call for reason and genuine affection is both the driving force behind the novel and the author's motivation and hope.
