Do Not Say We Have Nothing Summary
Madeleine Thien

Do Not Say We Have Nothing Overview

Through two converging narratives centered around the characters Marie and Ai-ming, Madeleine Thien’s novel, Do Not Say We Have Nothing, uses first and third person perspectives to illustrate the impact of the Chinese communist regime on two families. The narratives are comprised of a family history Ai-ming shares with Marie Jiang, the first person narrator of the novel. The novel is set in Vancouver, Canada, in the present and in Shanghai and other Chinese cities and villages from the 1930s to the 1980s. Thien explores the themes of diaspora, national and personal histories, and the role of music in resistance against political oppression.