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The Communist's Daughter
Dennis Bock lives with his wife and their two sons in Ontario. His novel "The Ash Garden" was published in nine countries and received the Canada-Japan Literary Award in 2002. "From the Hardcover edition."
304 pages, ebook
First published January 1, 2006
7 people are currently reading
144 people want to read
About the author
Dennis Bock
7 books133 followersDennis Bock is a Canadian novelist and short story writer. His newest novel, STRANGERS AT THE RED DOOR, was published in September, 2025 and named a Globe and Mail Best Book of the Year. The National Post ranked it in their top five novels of the fall publishing season.
"The Giller-shortlisted novelist uses the fantastic to tell a thrilling tale of censorship and the artist’s need to tell their story." — The Globe and Mail
“Eerily delightful. . . . Strange, affirming and lovely.... otherworldly beauty..." — Winnipeg Free Press
The Good German was published in September 2020 and praised by Margaret Atwood as "a cunning, twisted, compelling tale of deeply unexpected consequences."
Hailed by The Globe and Mail as “Canada's next great novelist,” Dennis has published four other books, including Olympia, The Ash Garden, The Communist's Daughter, and Going Home Again, shortlisted for the 2013 Scotiabank Giller Prize and winner of the 2014 Best Foreign Novel Award in China. His books have also been shortlisted for the Amazon/Books in Canada First Novel Award, the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award, the Kiriyama Pacific Rim Prize, the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize (Regional Best Book), and the City of Toronto Book Award. His collection of stories, Olympia, won the Danuta Gleed Literary Award, the Canadian Authors’ Association Jubilee Award, and the Betty Trask Award in the UK. The Ash Garden won the 2002 Canada-Japan Literary Award. His books have been published in translation in nine languages in twenty-three territories.
Dennis grew up in Oakville, Ontario and completed a degree in English literature and philosophy at the University of Western Ontario. He teaches at the University of Toronto and the Humber School for Writers.
"The Giller-shortlisted novelist uses the fantastic to tell a thrilling tale of censorship and the artist’s need to tell their story." — The Globe and Mail
“Eerily delightful. . . . Strange, affirming and lovely.... otherworldly beauty..." — Winnipeg Free Press
The Good German was published in September 2020 and praised by Margaret Atwood as "a cunning, twisted, compelling tale of deeply unexpected consequences."
Hailed by The Globe and Mail as “Canada's next great novelist,” Dennis has published four other books, including Olympia, The Ash Garden, The Communist's Daughter, and Going Home Again, shortlisted for the 2013 Scotiabank Giller Prize and winner of the 2014 Best Foreign Novel Award in China. His books have also been shortlisted for the Amazon/Books in Canada First Novel Award, the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award, the Kiriyama Pacific Rim Prize, the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize (Regional Best Book), and the City of Toronto Book Award. His collection of stories, Olympia, won the Danuta Gleed Literary Award, the Canadian Authors’ Association Jubilee Award, and the Betty Trask Award in the UK. The Ash Garden won the 2002 Canada-Japan Literary Award. His books have been published in translation in nine languages in twenty-three territories.
Dennis grew up in Oakville, Ontario and completed a degree in English literature and philosophy at the University of Western Ontario. He teaches at the University of Toronto and the Humber School for Writers.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
April 22, 2014
I don't want to be too harsh on this book because it is well written, but I'm glad I'm finished.
I wasn't sure if the character was pretentious, of if the writing was.
I'm sort of assuming it was the former, as he repeatedly makes mention of the fact that many people didn't like his ways and how self-involved he is. The history in the book was fantastic, but I didn't care for the repeatedly shifting time periods. I'm also not a huge fan of when books are supposed to be journals/letters/etc.
The descriptions in the books are good, and it really paints a picture of history. It gave me an informal introduction Dr. Bethune, which I hadn't even realized was a real person. I do like fictional accounts of real life people in history, so I thought I would enjoy this book. Unfortunately, I was wrong, but it doesn't mean that it's necessarily a bad book: it simply wasn't exactly for me.
Near the end of the book there were quite a few grammatical mistakes, which I found surprising considering the rest of the book had been superbly edited. I really enjoyed the character of Ho, and his back story is completely tragic. I'm only left wondering what happened to Ho afterwards.
Overall, I just found this story a little ... boring. Due to the fact it was written like a letter, he truly does write it as if it were a letter, but I wish there was more story, more scenes of his work, more dialogue.
It was well written, but it simply wasn't for me.
I wasn't sure if the character was pretentious, of if the writing was.
I'm sort of assuming it was the former, as he repeatedly makes mention of the fact that many people didn't like his ways and how self-involved he is. The history in the book was fantastic, but I didn't care for the repeatedly shifting time periods. I'm also not a huge fan of when books are supposed to be journals/letters/etc.
The descriptions in the books are good, and it really paints a picture of history. It gave me an informal introduction Dr. Bethune, which I hadn't even realized was a real person. I do like fictional accounts of real life people in history, so I thought I would enjoy this book. Unfortunately, I was wrong, but it doesn't mean that it's necessarily a bad book: it simply wasn't exactly for me.
Near the end of the book there were quite a few grammatical mistakes, which I found surprising considering the rest of the book had been superbly edited. I really enjoyed the character of Ho, and his back story is completely tragic. I'm only left wondering what happened to Ho afterwards.
Overall, I just found this story a little ... boring. Due to the fact it was written like a letter, he truly does write it as if it were a letter, but I wish there was more story, more scenes of his work, more dialogue.
It was well written, but it simply wasn't for me.
November 11, 2017
I gave up on P.107 as I found the writing boring, with vague meandering & philosophizing, and not doing justice to what should've been a fascinating account of a driven man's committed life.
March 10, 2018
Norman Bethune 1890-1939 is a bit of an embarrassment to Canada, a communist doctor whose home in Gravenhurst is a major tourist attraction for Chinese Diplomatic and Party Elites. Before the discovery of modern antibiotics such as penicillin he died of sepsis after sustaining a cut while spending endless fatiguing hours in a primitive operating conditions in China. He pioneered blood banks and originated surgical techniques that saved lives during the Spanish Civil War and Mao Tse Tung's war with Japanese invaders ultimately dying of infection in the field. Virtually an unknown in his home country he has attained the status of "sainthood" in China.
Son of a Presbyterian missionary and pastor who believed sparing the rod meant spoiling the child. Described is a scene in which Norman knocks an unruly student unconscious in the classroom and later when confronted by his older farm boy brother lays him out in the school yard. I’m surprised to learn that he was a painter and poet in the precious spare time he had.
War inflicts horrendous wounds. Without treatment most would die but after surgery most would die anyway before the development of modern sterilization methods and antibiotics from infections.
I’m still not a fan of books such as this one that jump back and forth in time and place from Bethune’s youth to the war in Madrid and “present day” in China 1938-9 where Norman is ostensibly recording his thoughts.
Son of a Presbyterian missionary and pastor who believed sparing the rod meant spoiling the child. Described is a scene in which Norman knocks an unruly student unconscious in the classroom and later when confronted by his older farm boy brother lays him out in the school yard. I’m surprised to learn that he was a painter and poet in the precious spare time he had.
War inflicts horrendous wounds. Without treatment most would die but after surgery most would die anyway before the development of modern sterilization methods and antibiotics from infections.
I’m still not a fan of books such as this one that jump back and forth in time and place from Bethune’s youth to the war in Madrid and “present day” in China 1938-9 where Norman is ostensibly recording his thoughts.
Read
March 11, 2018Review to come
September 25, 2007
Really gorgeous writing. It's the kind of book that you end up taking phrases away, wanting to immediately internalize the beautifully worked out prose. It was satisfying and filling- not in a way that is immediately forgotten. Most of the book, you feel as if you're just ambling along watching the scenery from the train window and the events don't seem to move along, but at the end, all the strings are pulled together. Very moving.
November 5, 2018
Slow. Difficult to get into. Hard to follow. Would not recommend to anyone.
February 20, 2018
The Communist's Daughter by Dennis Bock is the Together We Read Digital Book Club via the Toronto Public Library book for the February 15 – March 1 2018 period. Although I cheated and picked up the physical book from my parents' shelf – hopefully they won't kick me out of the Digital Book Club for it.
This book is a fictionalized story of a real doctor in a very real situation and is told in an epistolary manner. Norman Bethune was a gifted Canadian physician, medical innovator, and noted communist. Bethune came to international prominence as a front-line field surgeon during the Second Sino-Japanese War and brought modern medicine to the rural areas of China and is considered quite the hero in China with statues of him erected around China.
It is during this time period (1930s) where the fictionalized Bethune wrote letters to his daughter – a child he never seen to a woman he had abandoned in war-torn Spain. These letters covers things of the mundane to rather deep topics like the uncertainties of war, political optimism or naïveté and personal responsibilities.
It is written rather beautifully, however there are spots in the book where the pacing was terribly slow and it was an ordeal to read through. I like that it seemed historically accurate – in fact learning about this time in China was one of the more interesting things about this book. However it was the main protagonist, Bethune, that I had a problem with – I just didn't like him (and not in a good way), which limited my attachment to him.
All in all, The Communist's Daughter was a somewhat good read about a noted Canadian that I knew very little about beforehand. While there were many good things about the book – it doesn't outweigh some of the negative aspects of this book. In the end, it was just a mediocre book.
This book is a fictionalized story of a real doctor in a very real situation and is told in an epistolary manner. Norman Bethune was a gifted Canadian physician, medical innovator, and noted communist. Bethune came to international prominence as a front-line field surgeon during the Second Sino-Japanese War and brought modern medicine to the rural areas of China and is considered quite the hero in China with statues of him erected around China.
It is during this time period (1930s) where the fictionalized Bethune wrote letters to his daughter – a child he never seen to a woman he had abandoned in war-torn Spain. These letters covers things of the mundane to rather deep topics like the uncertainties of war, political optimism or naïveté and personal responsibilities.
It is written rather beautifully, however there are spots in the book where the pacing was terribly slow and it was an ordeal to read through. I like that it seemed historically accurate – in fact learning about this time in China was one of the more interesting things about this book. However it was the main protagonist, Bethune, that I had a problem with – I just didn't like him (and not in a good way), which limited my attachment to him.
All in all, The Communist's Daughter was a somewhat good read about a noted Canadian that I knew very little about beforehand. While there were many good things about the book – it doesn't outweigh some of the negative aspects of this book. In the end, it was just a mediocre book.
March 1, 2018
This book gives you a taste of the real character, Dr Norman Bethune. I enjoyed the letters and what kept me going is wanting to be hopeful as the author passed through different time periods and countries. The letters and dialogue give the reader a descriptive view of the setting. The thoughts that swarmed Bethune's mind and the thoughts that drove the fictional characters came alive to me.
Examples:
"What is this?" I asked.
"What is this? You will tell me now. His English was clear but heavily accented. "I can ask the same. What am I looking at?"
"Perfume." I said. "A gift. A token."
"And this?" He said, holding up a series of photographs.
...
"And tank columns. A doctor interested in tanks?"
..
"We know this work you do Doctor. The Spanish people thank you...."
We do things for women. Too often stupid things, he thought later. We cheat for them. We lie for them..
Now, it is Nighttime in Shin Pei. And he wonders what would the world be like if he were back with her in Spain or Montreal, or where ever they took her.
.....
I found out about your mother at the Hotel Bar in New York. I've been trying to think of a better way of telling you about this.... I've been trying to protect you..... As a boy I loved walking through grass tall enough to reach over my head. It was the sensation of being hidden from the world yet so immersed in it.. That's something like the sensation of losing someone. You are never in your life so alive and so aware of being alive, yet so isolated and abandoned as when a loved one is taken from you. The planet will move through you like the wind through stalks of grass.
They waited till your daughter was born, they said to him. At 49 years old he thinks he should know himself better and womders if he will have the strength to see his daughter receive his story.
His own mother in the end was probably right he thinks.
"These talents of mine are only on loan."
And whatever happened to the boy, Ho? A remarkably created character that sparks the interest of the reader.
Examples:
"What is this?" I asked.
"What is this? You will tell me now. His English was clear but heavily accented. "I can ask the same. What am I looking at?"
"Perfume." I said. "A gift. A token."
"And this?" He said, holding up a series of photographs.
...
"And tank columns. A doctor interested in tanks?"
..
"We know this work you do Doctor. The Spanish people thank you...."
We do things for women. Too often stupid things, he thought later. We cheat for them. We lie for them..
Now, it is Nighttime in Shin Pei. And he wonders what would the world be like if he were back with her in Spain or Montreal, or where ever they took her.
.....
I found out about your mother at the Hotel Bar in New York. I've been trying to think of a better way of telling you about this.... I've been trying to protect you..... As a boy I loved walking through grass tall enough to reach over my head. It was the sensation of being hidden from the world yet so immersed in it.. That's something like the sensation of losing someone. You are never in your life so alive and so aware of being alive, yet so isolated and abandoned as when a loved one is taken from you. The planet will move through you like the wind through stalks of grass.
They waited till your daughter was born, they said to him. At 49 years old he thinks he should know himself better and womders if he will have the strength to see his daughter receive his story.
His own mother in the end was probably right he thinks.
"These talents of mine are only on loan."
And whatever happened to the boy, Ho? A remarkably created character that sparks the interest of the reader.
Read
January 13, 2022Dennis Bock's novel The Communist's Daughter met with praise from readers and reviewers the moment it reached bookstore shelves, debuting as an instant Maclean's bestseller. This is the story of legendary Canadian doctor Norman Bethune--visionary, radical, martyr. Amidst the death and chaos of the Japanese army's advance into the hills of northern China, Bethune composes a wrenching letter to his daughter, a small child he has never seen, the daughter of a woman abandoned in war-torn Spain.
Set against the tumult of the late 1930s, The Communist's Daughter is a remarkable depiction of the moral ambiguities of war, political idealism and personal responsibility, an elegant, passionate novel that unfolds against the sweep of history.
"And she said, 'Does being happy diminish your sense of purpose, Norman?'
And I said, 'I've always had purpose. What I never had was peace.'"
"She was eager, I think, to have me pick up where she left off. The world of the mind, of travel, of good works. The great world awaited me, as it had awaited her in her day, in all its glory and sin"
"My leg had begun to hurt and I wanted another drink. I knew the leg would feel wooden in the morning. I was glad she was leaving. The excitement of being with her was gone. I had nothing to say and felt drained. I wanted to be alone. I walked her to her platform, where we shook hands and I helped her board the train. Then I walked back to the club.
I have thought about that day off and on over the years, and what strikes me most, I think, is the profound sadness I felt when I understood that this kindly girl could do nothing for me, despite her goodness and patience, and knew for the first time that something in my heart had been changed forever."
Set against the tumult of the late 1930s, The Communist's Daughter is a remarkable depiction of the moral ambiguities of war, political idealism and personal responsibility, an elegant, passionate novel that unfolds against the sweep of history.
"And she said, 'Does being happy diminish your sense of purpose, Norman?'
And I said, 'I've always had purpose. What I never had was peace.'"
"She was eager, I think, to have me pick up where she left off. The world of the mind, of travel, of good works. The great world awaited me, as it had awaited her in her day, in all its glory and sin"
"My leg had begun to hurt and I wanted another drink. I knew the leg would feel wooden in the morning. I was glad she was leaving. The excitement of being with her was gone. I had nothing to say and felt drained. I wanted to be alone. I walked her to her platform, where we shook hands and I helped her board the train. Then I walked back to the club.
I have thought about that day off and on over the years, and what strikes me most, I think, is the profound sadness I felt when I understood that this kindly girl could do nothing for me, despite her goodness and patience, and knew for the first time that something in my heart had been changed forever."
March 9, 2018
Read this through the Together We Read program, with the Calgary Public Library.
The book tells the story of Canadian doctor Norman Bethune, focusing on his work during the Spanish Civil War and the Sino-Japanese war. The story is told as a fictional collection of writings from Dr. Bethune, directed towards an also fictional daughter conceived during his stay in Spain. The timeline flips back and forth between memories of his past and his time in the front in China. The author does a really good job portraying the many nuances of the character, resisting the urge to place him in a pedestal.
The book tells the story of Canadian doctor Norman Bethune, focusing on his work during the Spanish Civil War and the Sino-Japanese war. The story is told as a fictional collection of writings from Dr. Bethune, directed towards an also fictional daughter conceived during his stay in Spain. The timeline flips back and forth between memories of his past and his time in the front in China. The author does a really good job portraying the many nuances of the character, resisting the urge to place him in a pedestal.
November 10, 2021
UofT professor, Dennis Bock's - The Communist's Daughter - is a fictional story about well-known Canadian Dr Norman Bethune. Written from the point of view of Bethune it takes the form of a series of letters to his daughter. It is often hard to like Bethune but on the other hand fascinating to read over his shoulder as he works through various ethical dilemmas. It is very well written but I found it bogged down in places. Perhaps because the focus on war, from a doctor's perspective, is not the best choice while we suffer through this pandemic. That said I do recommend it, especially for any history or philosophy buffs in the group.
April 22, 2018
I really enjoyed this fictionalization of the life and work of Dr. Norman Bethune. As a Canadian we often don't hear enough about the work that Bethune did in field medicine because he was often working with revolutionary or communist forces on battlefields that the larger world largely ignored. His work does not figure large in the Canadian history curriculum, which is unfortunate considering the contributions he made to medicine in his time.
June 30, 2017
Not in the mood for this kind of book. Read only a bit.
March 20, 2018
Loosely based on the life of Dr. Norman Bethune who made many contributions to the medical field but was a communist. Although well written I did not find it very interesting.
May 19, 2020
Read it last year. Good.
June 20, 2021
Norman Bethune’s life story in snippets especially related to right before he dies in China
December 22, 2013
History is filled with names like Dr. Norman Bethune. The number of sources that talk about him and his actions are numerous. But in the novel The Communist's Daughter, Dennis Bock has added a dimension of feeling to Bethune's biography that makes a reader understand his life better.
Page 3
It is my hope that your understanding will win out against any mistrust or anger you may harbour against me when you finally read this. It is so easy to feel anger, and Lord know I deserve a good dose of it. But I am trying, and you will see I have been trying for quite some time. I also hope that you will read this many years from now, when you are grown, at a time when this story will be long past. With an adult's eyes it is more likely that you will see this letter for what it is, and know the regret and tenderness I feel as I compose this history for you. Of course, I know I have no control over any of this, yet still I hope. The dead must relinquish so much.
Bethune is known by many as being a doctor whose work in the battlefields of Spain and China was documented well. (Wikipedia page for Norman Bethune) But fictionalized, his life seems less heroic and more personalized, making it more interesting to know.
Link to my complete review
Page 3
It is my hope that your understanding will win out against any mistrust or anger you may harbour against me when you finally read this. It is so easy to feel anger, and Lord know I deserve a good dose of it. But I am trying, and you will see I have been trying for quite some time. I also hope that you will read this many years from now, when you are grown, at a time when this story will be long past. With an adult's eyes it is more likely that you will see this letter for what it is, and know the regret and tenderness I feel as I compose this history for you. Of course, I know I have no control over any of this, yet still I hope. The dead must relinquish so much.
Bethune is known by many as being a doctor whose work in the battlefields of Spain and China was documented well. (Wikipedia page for Norman Bethune) But fictionalized, his life seems less heroic and more personalized, making it more interesting to know.
Link to my complete review
July 5, 2024
While the name Norman Bethune is familiar to me, I’m not sure I could’ve told you what he was famous for. This was an interesting fictional approach to a real person, taking the form of letters to the daughter he’d never met. Having not yet done any other research into Bethune’s life, I have no idea how accurate the details might be, although I suspect at least the timeline and the locations of his work are probably true. But I wonder how much the author knew about the man, because it wasn’t the most flattering depiction. Did he really get into a fistfight with a student and then the student’s older brother? Was he really such a jerk to his wife? Did he actually steal the money?
I don’t think it’s the fault of this book or its author that I don’t feel compelled to find out, whereas I usually can’t wait to dig in to the truth, I just really don’t care all that much about this person. Then again, maybe a different novel would have left me more intrigued. I guess I will have to let it simmer and see what bubbles up.
I don’t think it’s the fault of this book or its author that I don’t feel compelled to find out, whereas I usually can’t wait to dig in to the truth, I just really don’t care all that much about this person. Then again, maybe a different novel would have left me more intrigued. I guess I will have to let it simmer and see what bubbles up.
February 23, 2014
What an interesting introduction to a Canadian icon, Dr. Norman Bethune. I really knew nothing much about the man other than his name and that he'd worked in China. This was more than a biography, it was an imaginary personal communication in letters written by Dr. Bethune to an unknown daughter born in Spain after he'd left. In real life he was very instrumental in developing medical procedures, equipment and setting up moveable medical units to be used in wars as well as bringing modern medical training to China. But Dennis Bock brought the man to life in an emotional and personal way too. Amazing story!
August 12, 2007
I reviewed this book for Harper Collins Canada. Here's what I wrote:
The Communist's Daughter by Dennis Bock is brilliant. The legendary Canadian doctor Norman Bethune is brought to life with his letter’s to his daughter, a child, whom he has never met. These letters slowly unfold the darkness of war, heroism, love, and past secrets.
Dennis Bock has written another winning story!
The Communist's Daughter by Dennis Bock is brilliant. The legendary Canadian doctor Norman Bethune is brought to life with his letter’s to his daughter, a child, whom he has never met. These letters slowly unfold the darkness of war, heroism, love, and past secrets.
Dennis Bock has written another winning story!
September 18, 2007
Achingly beautiful and complicated portrayal of non-romantic idealism and political commitment, and the demands they make on one's humanity, with the extremes of war as a backdrop. It hurt to read this.
December 31, 2007
A decent read but I thought Ash Garden was a much better novel. I found it a difficult novel to get into but it definitely got better. Perhaps I struggled with the novel because I found Bethune such an unlikeable character. Dennis Bock is fine writer and I will definitely read his next book.
March 4, 2008
Strong descriptions of Chinese countryside during the war and a subtle understanding of the main character. I was left wanting to know more facts about Norman Bethune so perhaps I should have read something factual rather than fictional.
March 31, 2011
Read this for my book club and did not enjoy it (about half the book club liked it, the other half didn't!). It was so slow moving and I didn't feel engaged or invested in any of the characters. The main character, Bethune, is not very likeable. Too bad, because the topic was interesting.
January 14, 2015
Interesting fiction based on true events. The convergence in this book of the three wars this Canadian doctor has experienced gave me a lot to think about.
I liked the writing style, but the overal feeling it left me with was pointlessness. But maybe that was the writers intention.
I liked the writing style, but the overal feeling it left me with was pointlessness. But maybe that was the writers intention.
July 28, 2017
Het verhaal heeft me van begin tot het einde geboeid. Wel was het begin even lastig, omdat het verhaal niet chronologisch is opgebouwd en het van de hak op de tak lijkt te springen. Dat de Nederlandse vertaling zo slecht is helpt zeker niet mee!
August 27, 2007
Great book. The period between the world wars has always fasinated me and this is an excellent story from that era.
August 2, 2009
Fictionalized memoir....1930's war in Madrid, China....wartime surgeon's memoirs directed to his daughter whom he's never met.
Now I need to look into the real life of Dr. Bethune...
Now I need to look into the real life of Dr. Bethune...
July 23, 2010
An incite into the life of Dr. Bethune, without the
ponderousness of a biography.
ponderousness of a biography.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews