The Writing Prodigy

Many can attest that detours are a normal part of our lives. Often, we set our sights on a destination: success. However, the journey toward it is rarely straightforward. We envision what our destination will look like and cast it in stone, believing that it is the only one we will have in our lifetime. For years, we dedicate ourselves to reaching that destination. Step by step, we make strides toward this goal. But then again, life often has other plans. Surprises, pleasant or not, riddle our paths. This leads us astray—or perhaps toward a different path altogether. This is a story prevalent among writers. Amor Towles, for instance, had to temporarily shelve his dream of becoming a writer to earn a more stable salary to support himself and his family. He had long been interested in writing before joining the corporate world. He thought that working in that world had dimmed this dream. It did not. Realizing that the desire to write still burned within him, he pursued a literary career.

A nearly identical case is Yiyun Li (李翊雲). She was born on November 4, 1972, in Beijing, China, to a family of intellectuals; her mother was a teacher, while her father was a nuclear physicist. Life in the household, however, was not stable; she later recounted abuse she received from her mother. She also completed a year of compulsory service in the People’s Liberation Army before pursuing a college education. Literature was not her initial ambition. In 1996, she earned a Bachelor of Science from Peking University. Yet something continued to nag at her. After earning her degree, she moved to the United States to pursue a Master of Science in immunology at the University of Iowa. Her desire to leave her homeland was more pressing than her desire to pursue postgraduate studies, and a career in writing was the furthest thing from her mind. But life, as always, had other plans.

To improve her English, she enrolled in a writing course—an experience that would alter the trajectory of her life. The realization that everyone in Iowa City—even a doctor—was writing proved to be a eureka moment. If a doctor could write a novel, then surely Li could as well. And write she did. She shifted the focus of her studies, abandoning her PhD program in immunology to pursue writing and eventually entering the famed Iowa Writers’ Workshop. She earned her Master of Fine Arts in 2005, focusing on fiction and creative nonfiction. After graduate school, her short stories began appearing in major American publications. She published her first short story collection, A Thousand Years of Good Prayers, in 2005. The book received critical acclaim, announcing the arrival of a new literary voice. In 2009, she made her debut in long-form fiction with The Vagrants, which also received critical acclaim and became a finalist for the International Dublin Literary Award.

Life is most difficult for those who know what they want and also know what makes it impossible for them to get what they want. Life is still difficult, but less so, for those who know what they want but have not realized that they will never get it. It is the least difficult for people who do not know what they want.

Yiyun Li, The Book of Goose

The rest, they say, is history. In 2022, she published her fifth novel, The Book of Goose. The novel was conceived after Li read a review of several books about French prodigies published in the mid-20th century. Interestingly, she also admitted to having made only short, infrequent trips to the setting of her novel. The Book of Goose opens in the present, where we are introduced to Agnès Moreau, a Frenchwoman living in Pennsylvania with her husband, Earl. They struggled to conceive, although Agnès did not mind; instead, she found fulfillment in raising her geese. One day, she received a letter from her mother, who was still living in France, informing her of the death of her childhood friend, Fabienne, who died in childbirth. This tragic event prompts Agnès to reflect on their shared past and their relationship. Inspired by her friend’s story, she writes the titular The Book of Goose.

Agnès’s reflections transport readers to the French countryside, to the impoverished village of Saint Rémy. She and Fabienne are thirteen-year-olds in the aftermath of the Second World War, whose legacy still haunts the town. Tragedy has struck both their families. Agnès’s brother suffers a slow death, while her family wallows in poverty. Her parents also remain distant, although they are loving. The conditions in Fabienne’s home are no better: she loses both her mother and sister. She is left in the care of her father and brother, who are often heavily inebriated, forcing her to tend to their livestock alone. To escape their harsh realities, the two girls find camaraderie in each other. They become inseparable, and their bond grows stronger. Fabienne—the more independent, ambitious, and creative of the two—often conjures fantasy worlds into which she draws her friend. It was their form of escape and bonding.

One day, Fabienne proposes a new game—but it is no ordinary one. She suggests that they produce a book together: Fabienne will supply the stories through her vivid imagination, while Agnès, a student of penmanship, will write them down. Fabienne’s stories veer toward the dark, often depicting the gruesome and violent aspects of rural life. They enlist the help of Monsieur Devaux, the town’s postmaster. Having recently lost his wife, he assists them in editing and publishing their eerie stories; he is educated and has connections in Paris, and he grudgingly admires their work. However, Fabienne decides that Agnès alone should be credited; she and M. Devaux agree that Agnès is the more presentable public figure. M. Devaux and Agnès travel to Paris to present the book to a publisher. Although Monsieur Chastain is initially skeptical of Agnès’s abilities, he agrees to publish the collection after being impressed by a writing test.

The book lives up to its promise. Despite its morbid themes, it becomes a success, largely because of its honest depiction of life in the countryside. This unexpected achievement elevates Agnès to national recognition. She becomes a celebrated child author, even traveling to Paris alone to be interviewed by the press, and soon becomes the darling of the Parisian literary scene. Encouraged by this success, Fabienne suggests they work on another book. Agnès’s newfound fame, however, comes at a cost. As Agnès is thrust into the spotlight, Fabienne is left behind. Agnès begins receiving recognition and scholarships—her ticket out of their difficult lives. Still, Fabienne remains supportive. Agnès, the more dutiful and observant of the two, wants the best for both of them. At one point, she implores Fabienne to move to Paris with her so they can begin a new life together. But how will these events alter the course of Agnès and Fabienne’s lives?

Perhaps I was born a material different from my parents. I was born a hard person, harder than most people in my life, so I have only myself to blame when I cannot feel the love of others, my parents among them. Love from those who cannot damage us irreparably often feels insufficient; we may think, rightly or wrongly, that their love does not matter at all.

Yiyun Li, The Book of Goose

The Book of Goose is a multilayered story skillfully woven by Li. In her fifth novel, she examines the nature and intricacies of friendship—particularly female companionship—through the story of Agnès and Fabienne. In a world thrown into pandemonium, the two find comfort in one another. Life deals them some of its harshest cards. At a young age, they must contend not only with the lingering shadows of war but also with loss and death, two of the novel’s most prevalent themes. These experiences usher in a debilitating sense of hopelessness. Yet they do not allow the bleakness that permeates the countryside to consume them. They harbor dreams and aspirations, though initially it is Fabienne who possesses them more clearly. She, in turn, inspires Agnès to imagine a life beyond the countryside.

Beyond each other’s company, the girls find escape in the worlds born of Fabienne’s vivid imagination. Li emphasizes how imagination and fantasy serve as sanctuaries during times of chaos and upheaval. After all, the desire to escape turmoil is universal. The two friends begin to inhabit these imagined worlds, which provide temporary reprieve from their harsh realities. The novel also underscores the vital role of writing and literature. Alongside imagination, they become powerful means of coping with—and momentarily escaping—the world around us. In this sense, The Book of Goose serves as a homage to the arts, particularly storytelling and writing. It also offers a compelling portrayal of the child prodigy. To the outside world, Agnès appears to be the prodigy, but as her reflections reveal, both she and Fabienne possess extraordinary gifts: one as a writer, the other as a storyteller.

Ultimately, reality intrudes upon their shared fantasies. When they return to the real world, Agnès and Fabienne must confront the same hardships they had briefly escaped. Still, they remain hopeful. Yet opportunities are rarely equal. Fabienne’s decision to remain uncredited stems from her awareness of societal expectations, which discourage her from attaching her name to the work. Meanwhile, Agnès’s growing success begins to strain their bond. Success, after all, can breed resentment—even within the strongest friendships. As Agnès rises to prominence, Fabienne is left behind. With Agnès’s move to a prestigious boarding school in England, she finds herself grappling with new expectations and an unfamiliar social environment. Meanwhile, Fabienne begins to feel increasingly abandoned. As their paths diverge, the darker undercurrents of their friendship surface, threatening to unravel the bond they once shared.

No friendship is perfect. As the story unfolds and their lives diverge, so too does the rift between them widen. Long-suppressed concerns rise to the surface. While the shared legacy of war initially binds them, both girls ultimately yearn for independence. They long to escape the physical and emotional confines of the countryside—a desire that subtly mirrors the author’s own journey. What begins as admiration gradually transforms into resentment. Their desire for independence also reflects their individual searches for identity. Fabienne appears more self-assured, yet her vulnerabilities gradually come to light. Agnès, meanwhile, struggles to define herself outside of Fabienne’s shadow. In many ways, it is through Fabienne that Agnès first understands who she is. As Agnès steps into her own success, she must confront the challenge of self-definition, while Fabienne is left to grapple with an enduring sense of abandonment.

Morning and evening make a day. Days and nights make a week, a month, a life. Drop me into any moment, point me in any direction, and I could retrace my life. Details beget details. With all those details one might hope for the full picture. A full picture of what, though? The more we remember, the less we understand.

Yiyun Li, The Book of Goose

The divergence of their paths is further exacerbated by acts of betrayal. As girls growing up in the countryside, they provide each other with the support system they need. They survive the rigors of postwar rural life because of one another. Yet, this proves insufficient, as various factors—both within and beyond their control—shape their development, as is often the case. As an adult in the present, Agnès is prompted to confront her memories; memory itself emerges as an overarching theme in the novel. After leaving her hometown, she becomes emotionally and physically detached from her childhood. She revisits the memories she has kept under lock and key for years, reflecting on how the past has shaped her life. She also examines the betrayals that ultimately undo their friendship, candidly acknowledging the role she played in its dissolution.

The story of Agnès and Fabienne is juxtaposed with the lingering horrors of war. War serves as a subtle yet significant presence in the novel, with the French countryside bearing its scars. Its legacy is far-reaching, as the populace grapples with poverty and social, economic, and political upheaval. The air was heavy with the unmistakable whiff of death and hopelessness. The war upends the girls’ lives, pushing them to seek refuge in different ways. A vivid illustration of the war’s impact is Jean, Agnès’s older brother. After the war, he returned from a German labor camp gravely ill and bedridden. These horrors are woven—both stylistically and thematically—into the stories crafted by Fabienne, which explains the morbidity that permeates her work. In this sense, the war acts as a counterpoint to the novel’s elements of fairy tale and imaginative worldbuilding.

At its heart, The Book of Goose is both a heartwarming and heartbreaking coming-of-age story set during a pivotal moment in history. Li’s most tender writing is reserved for the intimate moments between the two girls as they come of age in the French countryside. In many ways, they embody a generation forced to grapple with the weight of history. Still, hope beckons. Though shaped by the aftermath of war, they find strength in forging a genuine connection in a fractured world. Their story captures the complexities of female friendship with nuance and depth. Ultimately, The Book of Goose stands as a paean to the arts, illustrating how literature and storytelling can become a refuge in times of hardship. It is a tender and insightful exploration of friendship, ambition, memory, war, and the enduring scars of childhood—wounds that, perhaps, can never be fully escaped.

Sometimes I think it may be just as well that I cannot have my own children: I can count more things I would not be able to do for them than what I could; and I would rather march through life without the futile protection from my children. People often forget that it is always a gamble to be a mother; I am not a gambler.

Yiyun Li, The Book of Goose
Book Specs

Author: Yiyun Li
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Publishing Date: 2022
No. of Pages: 348
Genre: Coming-of-Age

Synopsis

Fabienne is dead. Her childhood best friend, Agnès, receives the news in America, far from the French countryside where the two girls were raised – the place that Fabienne helped Agnès escape ten years ago. Now Agnès is free to tell her story.

As children in a war-ravaged backwater town, they’d built a private world, invisible to everyone but themselves – until Fabienne hatched the plan that would change everything, launching Agnès on an epic trajectory through fame, fortune, and terrible loss.

A magnificent, beguiling tale winding from the postwar rural provinces to Paris, from an English boarding school to the quiet Pennsylvania home where a woman can live without her past, The Book of Goose is a story of disturbing intimacy and obsession, of exploitation and strength of will, bu the celebration author Yiyun Li.

About the Author

Yiyun Li (李翊雲) was born on November 4, 1972, in Beijing, China, to a family of intellectuals; her mother was a teacher, while her father was a nuclear physicist. Life in the household, however, was not stable; she later recounted abuse she received from her mother. She also completed a year of compulsory service in the People’s Liberation Army before pursuing a college education. After receiving her Bachelor of Science from Peking University in 1996, she moved to the United States to study immunology at the University of Iowa. To improve her English, she took a writing course. This, and her observation of how everyone in Iowa City was writing, including a doctor, led her to start writing herself. She decided to change the focus of her studies, abandoning a PhD program in immunology and entering the famed Iowa Writers’ Workshop. She earned her master of Fine Arts in 2005 with a focus on fiction and creative nonfiction.

Post-graduate school, Li’s short stories began appearing in distinguished U.S. publications. This also earned a publisher’s interest, seeking her out for a collection. In 2005, her first short story collection, A Thousand Years of Good Prayers, was published. It was an instant critical success, earning Li the Guardian First Book Award, the Frank O’Connor International Short Story Award, the PEN/Hemingway Award, and the California Book Award for first fiction. It was also shortlisted for the Kiriyama Prize and the Orange Prize for New Writers. In 2009, she published her first full-length prose, The Vagrants. It was equally warmly received by literary pundits and readers alike. It was a finalist for the 2011 International Dublin Literary Award. She published two more short story collections and four more novels, with The Book of Goose (2022) her most recent novel. Her short stories and essays also appeared in different publications across the world.

Li had a breakdown in 2012 and attempted suicide twice. Her experiences with depression became the backbone of her 2017 memoir, Dear Friend. Apart from writing, she taught at Mills College. In 2008, she joined the faculty at the Department of English at the University of California, Davis. Since 2017, she has been a professor of creative writing at the Lewis Center for the Arts at Princeton University. Li was eventually appointed the Director of the Creative Writing Program at Princeton University in 2022. In 2023, Li was elected as a Royal Society of Literature International Writer.