In “A Burial for Flowers”, Henry Smith must fight to understand a bloody history during China’s “Three Bitter Years” (1958-61) to uncover his father’s mysterious death. The story takes place in two settings: the first is in early 1960s Henan Province, China during the Great Leap Forward when an estimated 30 to 60 million Chinese died of famine; the second is in a western city in the near future when a biomedical technology company has begun a project known as the “Process” which is rumored to extend life infinitely. The story begins as Henry has just inherited his father’s conglomerate business. Events surrounding his father’s death lead Henry to believe foul play had been involved. As Henry sets out to uncover the details, he realizes he is intricately connected to the Process and, mysteriously, to the lost history of 1960s Henan. As Henry learns about how these seemingly unconnected time periods relate to one another, he is faced with a decision about his father’s final project and must put himself at peace with his father’s passing.
