Sansan, the protagonist of Eighth Moon, tells the story of her life from age four through seventeen. Focusing on her family and her school friends, she also reveals much about life in Communist China. She is a candid and forthright narrator as she reveals her shortcomings, her aspirations, her fears, and her deep love for her family and her land.

"Mama" is Sansan's guardian. When her sister and brother-in-law leave for a trip to the United States, Mama agrees to keep their year-old daughter.

When this trip stretches to seventeen years, she continues to raise the child.

Mama is not an appealing character.

She is a short, dumpy woman who is suffering from some glandular disease which causes her body to swell up. She also has a terrible temper. She sometimes beats and berates Sansan. She tries to keep Sansan in China by telling her that she belongs...