Silk Umbrellas

Noi is learning to paint like her grandmother. She and her older sister Ting spend hours in the jungle, entranced as they watch Kun Ya paint delicate silk umbrellas to sell at the market. But when Ting must begin work at a local radio factory to help support the family, Noi sees her own fate reflected in her sister’s changing world. Can she master her fear of failure —and stand up for her gift —before the future masters her? Woven with the customs and language of Thailand, this evocative novel transcends time and place to tell the graceful story of an artist’s coming of age.