Sun and moon

"Sun and Moon" by Vincent H. Gowen is a novel written in the late 20th century. The story is set against a backdrop of cultural complexities in early 20th-century China, focusing on the lives of two Eurasian children, Nancy and Edward Herrick, as they navigate their identities and family dynamics within a household influenced by Eastern and Western traditions. The book delves into themes of belonging, cultural clash, and the consequences of lineage in a rapidly changing world. At the start of the novel, we are introduced to the lush, serene setting of a garden estate in Peking, where Nancy and Edward, the mixed-race children of their father Timothy Herrick and a Chinese mother, engage in playful antics that highlight both their innocence and their foreignness. The opening chapters explore the family's unconventional dynamics, particularly the challenges their father faces in raising them within a Chinese household while trying to preserve his own cultural identity. Herrick's struggle with his dual responsibilities and the children's tumultuous interactions with their Chinese half-siblings set the stage for a narrative rich in conflict as they grapple with their place in both cultures amidst whispers of gossip and tensions that arise from their mixed heritage.