Rouge Street: Three Novellas
- Downloads：8044
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-04-29 08:52:55
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Shuang Xuetao
- ISBN：1250835879
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Summary
Already compared to Hemingway and Murakami， Shuang Xuetao is one of the most highly celebrated young Chinese writers—his English-language debut Rouge Street collects three dazzling novellas of Northeast China， mixing realism， mysticism， and noir
An enterprising inventor dreams of escaping his drab surroundings in a flying machine。 A criminal， trapped beneath a frozen lake， transforms into a giant fish。 A strange girl pledges to ignite a field of sorghum stalks。
Rouge Street collects three novellas by Shuang Xuetao， the lauded young Chinese writer whose frank， fantastical short fiction has already inspired comparisons to Ernest Hemingway and Haruki Murakami。 Located in China’s frigid Northeast， Shenyang， the author’s birthplace， boasts an illustrious past—legend holds that the emperor’s makeup was manufactured here。 But while the city enjoyed renewed importance as an industrial hub under Mao Zedong， China’s subsequent transition from communism to a private economy led to an array of social ills—unemployment， poverty， alcoholism， domestic violence， divorce， suicide—which gritty Shenyang epitomizes。
Orbiting the toughest neighborhood of a postindustrial city whose vast， inhospitable landscape makes every aspect of life a struggle， these many-voiced missives are united by Shuang Xuetao’s singular style—one which balances hardscrabble naturalism with the transcendent， and faces the bleak environs with winning humor。 Lyrical， masterful， Rouge Street illuminates not only the hidden pains of those left behind in an extraordinary economic boom， but also the unlikely， nourishing grace they， nevertheless， manage to discover。
An enterprising inventor dreams of escaping his drab surroundings in a flying machine。 A criminal， trapped beneath a frozen lake， transforms into a giant fish。 A strange girl pledges to ignite a field of sorghum stalks。
Rouge Street collects three novellas by Shuang Xuetao， the lauded young Chinese writer whose frank， fantastical short fiction has already inspired comparisons to Ernest Hemingway and Haruki Murakami。 Located in China’s frigid Northeast， Shenyang， the author’s birthplace， boasts an illustrious past—legend holds that the emperor’s makeup was manufactured here。 But while the city enjoyed renewed importance as an industrial hub under Mao Zedong， China’s subsequent transition from communism to a private economy led to an array of social ills—unemployment， poverty， alcoholism， domestic violence， divorce， suicide—which gritty Shenyang epitomizes。
Orbiting the toughest neighborhood of a postindustrial city whose vast， inhospitable landscape makes every aspect of life a struggle， these many-voiced missives are united by Shuang Xuetao’s singular style—one which balances hardscrabble naturalism with the transcendent， and faces the bleak environs with winning humor。 Lyrical， masterful， Rouge Street illuminates not only the hidden pains of those left behind in an extraordinary economic boom， but also the unlikely， nourishing grace they， nevertheless， manage to discover。
Reviews
Anne
，
It was interesting reading the translator’s notes on calling the book Rouge Street。 Although the three stories are novellas， it took me a bit more time to read them。 It is hard for me to imagine pronouncing the names。 My favorite of the three was Bright Hall。 Don’t let the title fool you， it starts with a sculptor getting his middle fingers chopped off for a sculpture of his the Red Guard didn’t approve of。 Yikes。 These stories are dark and gritty。 They made me thankful for living in my nice lit It was interesting reading the translator’s notes on calling the book Rouge Street。 Although the three stories are novellas， it took me a bit more time to read them。 It is hard for me to imagine pronouncing the names。 My favorite of the three was Bright Hall。 Don’t let the title fool you， it starts with a sculptor getting his middle fingers chopped off for a sculpture of his the Red Guard didn’t approve of。 Yikes。 These stories are dark and gritty。 They made me thankful for living in my nice little quiet neighborhood。 。。。more
Carly
，
Rouge Street was released today， April 19， 2022。A set of three novellas by Chinese author Shuang Xuetao， Rouge Street is his first book to appear in English （translated by Jeremy Tiang）。 As someone who hasn’t read a lot of Chinese fiction， I defer to others to better contextualize this book （for example， Jing Tsu in her NYT review published today， and Tiang in the Translator’s Note）， but in short， it is set in a rundown neighborhood of the city of Shenyang， which is situated in a region known as Rouge Street was released today， April 19， 2022。A set of three novellas by Chinese author Shuang Xuetao， Rouge Street is his first book to appear in English （translated by Jeremy Tiang）。 As someone who hasn’t read a lot of Chinese fiction， I defer to others to better contextualize this book （for example， Jing Tsu in her NYT review published today， and Tiang in the Translator’s Note）， but in short， it is set in a rundown neighborhood of the city of Shenyang， which is situated in a region known as China’s Rust Belt （with the associated industrial and economic implications）， in the decades after the Cultural Revolution into the near-present day。Though some of the marketing for this book （as well as its very cool cover art） suggested to me a sort of sci-fi vibe， Xuetao’s stories are mostly defined by a kind of gritty realism。 There are rare moments suggesting something akin to magic realism （mostly in the second novella）， but overall the stories are defined by a down-to-earth character-focused approach that brings the reader into the lives of numerous people with different perspectives and motivations， though they are united by the intergenerational and situational burdens of their hometown， and cross paths with each other in unexpected ways。Xuetao does a remarkable job of presenting his characters’ troubles as the course of their everyday lives， without impressing an undue degree of piteousness。 An undercurrent of dark humor is part， but not all of what buoys them along; there’s also a common element of straightforward practicality in the face of circumstances outside of their control。 The stories and the lives of Xuetao’s characters are as twisty and meandering as the streets of Shenyang， and I enjoyed being taken on the journey。 I was also excited to learn of another kind of stove you can sleep on， in this case， a kang。I will definitely be checking out more of Xuetao’s work when it is translated。Thank you to Henry Holt & Company， Metropolitan Books for the NetGalley ARC。 。。。more
Jennifer JV Houselog
，
It’s a bunch of little family stories in a small part of the world that goes in so many directions。
Kip Kyburz
，
Two good novellas and “Moses on The Plain” which is transcendent。 A very straightforward， matter of fact writing style that reminds of Steinbeck talking about the down and out citizens of a changing country。 Just transport those stories of people being left behind by society from early 20th century America to late 20th century China arising from communism to a freer market。
Michelle
，
I enjoyed it。 Will be passing the book to my friends and family！
luce
，
| | blog | tumblr | letterboxd | |Rouge Street presents its readers with three novellas by Shuang Xuetao which have been translated by Jeremy Tiang who once again has done a stellar job。 The prose of these novellas is smooth and engaging， contrasting with the sometimes stark realities experienced by the characters populating these stories。 The backdrop to most of these stories is Shenyang， which the author renders in gritty realism。 The characters struggle to find stable employment and fulfilm | | blog | tumblr | letterboxd | |Rouge Street presents its readers with three novellas by Shuang Xuetao which have been translated by Jeremy Tiang who once again has done a stellar job。 The prose of these novellas is smooth and engaging， contrasting with the sometimes stark realities experienced by the characters populating these stories。 The backdrop to most of these stories is Shenyang， which the author renders in gritty realism。 The characters struggle to find stable employment and fulfilment as they attempt to navigate a perilous social and economic landscape。 Many experiences or are close to people affected by poverty， addiction， and domestic violence。 Some find themselves embroiled in murky businesses， while others attempt to make their dreams come true even when the cards are stacked against them。 An element of magical realism reminiscent of the work Murakami comes into play in some of these narratives， lending an air of surreality to many of the events and scenes being described。 The humor present in many of the character interactions also made me think of Murakami’s books， as Xuetao effectively incorporates humorous asides or funny lines into his otherwise bleak narratives。 These moments of levity also add to the surreal， occasionally dreamy， atmosphere of these stories。 The author's insights into contemporary Chinese society also are characterised by an almost rueful tone， one that lends itself to his novellas' subject matter（s）。 The family dynamics were lively and I appreciated how the author establishes generational gaps without resorting to the usual clichès。 What I struggled with was the shift in perspectives。 I have never been a fan of shifts between 1st and 3rd povs， and here I sometimes had difficulties telling who was speaking and their connection to the other pov。 To be fair， this issue I had may have something to do with the fact that I listened to the audiobook version of this collection。 I think I would have been able to follow the storylines better if I’d read it for myself。 I will probably revisit Rouge Street as I would like to gain a more in-depth understanding of its novellas。 。。。more
Tisha
，
I really enjoyed these three novellas。
Robert Sullivan
，
This is a lovely collection of 3 novellas， set in a working class district in a city in northeast China。 The plots are intricate， spanning multiple generations of interlocking families trying to navigate their through 40 years of history。 All of the families are broken in some way: missing mothers or fathers， livelihoods destroyed by macro economic forces， alcoholism and despair。 The wreckage left by the Cultural Revolution of the 1960's filters down through the generations。 Yet the characters m This is a lovely collection of 3 novellas， set in a working class district in a city in northeast China。 The plots are intricate， spanning multiple generations of interlocking families trying to navigate their through 40 years of history。 All of the families are broken in some way: missing mothers or fathers， livelihoods destroyed by macro economic forces， alcoholism and despair。 The wreckage left by the Cultural Revolution of the 1960's filters down through the generations。 Yet the characters make their way; the stories are not oppressive， and even somewhat hopeful。I can't speak to the faithfulness of the translation， but the English is evocative and lyrical。I will certainly seek out more writing by this author。 。。。more
Dylan
，
This was an error of expectations on my part。 I was expecting magical realism along the lines of Gaiman from the snippets in the synopsis， but it’s more like literary fiction which isn’t really my speed。 It reminds me of the Cultural Revolution chapters from The Three Body Problem。 From what I’ve read of it I think it’s very well written and will be compelling to readers who like this kind of thing， sadly not for me though。 Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced This was an error of expectations on my part。 I was expecting magical realism along the lines of Gaiman from the snippets in the synopsis， but it’s more like literary fiction which isn’t really my speed。 It reminds me of the Cultural Revolution chapters from The Three Body Problem。 From what I’ve read of it I think it’s very well written and will be compelling to readers who like this kind of thing， sadly not for me though。 Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced review copy。 。。。more
Inés Molina
，
This is the first book I've read from a Chinese author and I've got to say I'd love to read more。 It was very well-written， the book had some darkness。 I enjoyed taking the journey through three different stories。 This is the first book I've read from a Chinese author and I've got to say I'd love to read more。 It was very well-written， the book had some darkness。 I enjoyed taking the journey through three different stories。 。。。more
Mary
，
Great read
Sarah
，
I knew nothing of this book when I requested it from NetGalley， but what sold me （and immediately made me wonder） were the comparisons to Ernest Hemingway and Haruki Murakami readers have made of this celebrated up-and-coming Chinese writer。 I also thought the summaries of the three novellas of Rouge Street were pretty spectacular:An inventor dreams of escaping his drab surroundings in a flying machine。 A criminal， trapped beneath a frozen lake， fights a giant fish。 A strange girl pledges to ign I knew nothing of this book when I requested it from NetGalley， but what sold me （and immediately made me wonder） were the comparisons to Ernest Hemingway and Haruki Murakami readers have made of this celebrated up-and-coming Chinese writer。 I also thought the summaries of the three novellas of Rouge Street were pretty spectacular:An inventor dreams of escaping his drab surroundings in a flying machine。 A criminal， trapped beneath a frozen lake， fights a giant fish。 A strange girl pledges to ignite a field of sorghum stalks。I mean， how could I resist something so wonderfully odd？！ I couldn't。 I wouldn't exactly stack this against anything by Hemingway or Murakami， but I can see why it's gotten so much attention abroad。 These novellas were recently translated to English， and I'm hoping I can scope out some of his other books。 。。。more
Dannie
，
DNF at ~100 pages couldn’t bring myself to keep reading。 finished the first novella， wasn’t awful， the writing is nice but sadly not intriguing to me。 might pick up again。
Keith
，
Rouge Street is a collection of three atmospheric novellas originally written in Chinese by celebrated young writer Shuang Xuetao and translated into English。 The stories themselves are quite different in nature， but they are all connected by location as each is set in Shenyang， an industrial city in northeast China that has been in serious decline since the time of the Chairman Mao’s Cultural Revolution。 In particular， the focal point is Yanfen Street， an impoverished and crime-ridden district Rouge Street is a collection of three atmospheric novellas originally written in Chinese by celebrated young writer Shuang Xuetao and translated into English。 The stories themselves are quite different in nature， but they are all connected by location as each is set in Shenyang， an industrial city in northeast China that has been in serious decline since the time of the Chairman Mao’s Cultural Revolution。 In particular， the focal point is Yanfen Street， an impoverished and crime-ridden district populated by men and women at the fringes of society who are struggling to survive。 It is a sector of the city with a surprisingly rich history; for instance， we are told in an introductory note that the street’s name loosely translates to “rouge powder” owing to its bygone role in producing makeup for ladies in the imperial palace。 It is also Shuang’s hometown neighborhood， making these tales very personal endeavors for the author。‘The Aeronaut’， the first work in the volume， is a multi-generational saga told from the perspective of two large working-class families。 A son of one family， who marries a daughter of the other， has dreams of inventing a flying machine， a poignant metaphor for rising above and escaping the hard， soul-crushing life they all lead。 How that escape attempt plays out comprises the story’s resolution。 In ‘Bright Hall’， two teenage boys， abandoned by their parents and living at opposite ends of Yanfen Street， are connected by a brutal crime。 They eventually find themselves in a secret room at the bottom of a frozen lake being interrogated by a big fish disguised as a man。 The final novella， ‘Moses on the Plain’， is essentially a detective story told from myriad perspectives and over a span of many years。 It involves multiple unsolved murders， including those of a policeman and two government officials。 At the center of things is a young woman who is being raised by her unemployed father after her mother has died。These brief descriptions do not really provide an adequate sense of just how complex and interesting these stories really are。 Shuang is a writer with an admirable talent for capturing the feeling of certain place and time， which is useful in this case as the setting and the history will likely be unfamiliar to many Western readers。 While unique in their own way， each novella has a distinctly melancholic feel to it， with subject matter that inevitably involves broken families， betrayal， unfulfilled dreams， and death。 They are also multi-layered tales in which time frames and points of view shift frequently， providing a backdrop that is at once dream-like and grittily realistic。 The author’s work has been compared to that of both Hemingway and Murakami， which is high praise indeed， if somewhat premature。 （Shuang’s language， though often direct， is far more convoluted than Hemingway’s ever was and the only real echo of Murakami comes in the fantastical conclusion to ‘Bright Hall’。） Nevertheless， Rouge Street was an affecting and engaging book and this is an author whose work I will seek out in the future。 。。。more
Carly Thompson
，
A collection of 3 novellas set in northeastern China。 The novellas are complex and move between several different perspectives and places in time and two end with slightly magical realism endings。 Readers who like literary fiction or Murakami will enjoy this。
Dan
，
My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher Henry Holt and Company for an advanced copy of this collection of novellas from China。 Three very different novellas， each featuring the industrial city of Shenyang， located in the frigid area of northeast China， as the main character and primary muse in Shuang Xuetao's Rouge Street。 Compared to such authors a Murakami， and Hemingway， Shuang Xuetao is a young writer that is making a name for himself in both the Chinese and world literary scene， along My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher Henry Holt and Company for an advanced copy of this collection of novellas from China。 Three very different novellas， each featuring the industrial city of Shenyang， located in the frigid area of northeast China， as the main character and primary muse in Shuang Xuetao's Rouge Street。 Compared to such authors a Murakami， and Hemingway， Shuang Xuetao is a young writer that is making a name for himself in both the Chinese and world literary scene， along with the writer Yan Ge， who also writes of cities and the effects on its inhabitants。The stories offer different views of the city and how it became and where it is going。 Starting first as a town known for the manufacture of the emperor's makeup the city has seen revolution， cultural and new economies come and well not go， but stay and effect the people in different ways。 The stories start with a theme， but move onto tangents， a man wants to build a flying machine， a criminal avoids capture but strange things happen， taxi drivers are the victims of crimes， while a young girl dreams of burning a field。 Simple in idea， but in execution the stories range across a variety of themes， mostly the separation of families， friends， and colleagues that working for a large machine with will cause。 Shenyang grows， but nothing around it changes， just a cold landscape that surrounds a colder story。 The stories are good， and though they might seem to meaner a bit， cover a lot of ground and time。 Characters that seem important， disappear and others suddenly become the focus and the reason that things are happening。 I am not sure how the translation by Jeremy Tiang is， however he did translate the book Strange Beasts of China which I also enjoyed， but I had no problems enjoying or following the story。 The is much sadness in the book， characters seem to deal with family by referencing either drink or suicide。 There are a lot of expectation of characters， and not a lot of hope that they will be met。 There is a bit of remove in the characters and sometimes a bit of if not magic， but bit of supernatural， a bit like Murakami。 I quite enjoyed all the novellas， something that is rare for me in collections。 I have found myself reading a lot more authors from China than I have in the past。 Most of my reading was in the genre of science fiction， but I am finding a lot of new authors that I enjoy。 The writing in Rouge Street is very good， with a interesting way of sharing themes that we all have in common。 I am excited to read more by Shuang Xuetao。 。。。more
Pop Bop
，
Yanfen， （Rouge）， Street Meets Cannery Row。。。。。。。。。I enjoyed this collection of three novellas very much， although possibly not in the way intended。 All of the works tell the stories of the people dispossessed and abandoned by the transition from Mao's increasingly unbalanced version of Chinese Communism to a modern， private， and less ideological market economy。 In Xuetao's only slightly fictionalized industrial neighborhood of Shenyang， which was left destitute by the change， there are drunks， p Yanfen， （Rouge）， Street Meets Cannery Row。。。。。。。。。I enjoyed this collection of three novellas very much， although possibly not in the way intended。 All of the works tell the stories of the people dispossessed and abandoned by the transition from Mao's increasingly unbalanced version of Chinese Communism to a modern， private， and less ideological market economy。 In Xuetao's only slightly fictionalized industrial neighborhood of Shenyang， which was left destitute by the change， there are drunks， petty criminals， violent brawlers， and all manner of desperate， dissolute， and hopeless characters。 There are also moments of beauty， and people who have the grace and fortitude to battle and transcend， （if only briefly and perhaps fantastically）， their bleak surroundings。 I admired Xuetao's style， and the simplicity， unembroidered directness， authenticity， and power of his language。 （Think British kitchen sink realism meets Chinese Kang bed stove realism）。 American literature， indeed world literature， has a vast catalogue of authors and works that have addressed characters in similar social and economic circumstances。 So the reader can go on a bit of an Easter Egg hunt。 That part felt like Steinbeck; this bit smacked of Hemingway; was that an echo of Dreiser I heard there？ Who's listening for Murakami and Camus and John Osborne？ And so on。 The point isn't that Xuetao's work is derivative; far from it。 The larger point， to paraphrase Tolstoy， is that "All happy countries resemble one another， but each unhappy country is unhappy in its own way。 "。 How Xuetao made this subject his， how he interpreted it for northern China， and how he expressed it as a Chinese experience， is what I found most rewarding and instructive。So， whether you want to read stories about interesting people coping with dramatic problems in a foreign setting， or want to go all academic and scholarly， this is a book loaded with opportunities， worthy finds， and subtle but weighty questions。（Please note that I received a free advance ecopy of this book without a review requirement， or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review。 Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book。） 。。。more
Aubrei K （earlgreypls）
，
Thank you to netgalley and the publisher （Henry Holt & Co） for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review！This was a really special set of novellas。 They were all written by a highly acclaimed Chinese author and recently translated into English。 The third novella （Moses on the Plain） was actually turned into a movie （titled Fire on the Plain）。 I'm not sure if there are English subtitles available yet for the film， but if there are I will definitely be watching it。The first Thank you to netgalley and the publisher （Henry Holt & Co） for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review！This was a really special set of novellas。 They were all written by a highly acclaimed Chinese author and recently translated into English。 The third novella （Moses on the Plain） was actually turned into a movie （titled Fire on the Plain）。 I'm not sure if there are English subtitles available yet for the film， but if there are I will definitely be watching it。The first story （The Aeronaut）， is about a man who wants to invent a flying machine， the second （Bright Hall）， is about two children who chase a criminal into a frozen lake and fight a giant fish-person， and the third （Moses on the Plain）， is about the mysterious murders of taxi drivers。To be completely honest， it was difficult to even write the above paragraph giving a synopsis for each story。 They are all so much more than one chronological plot-line。 Each novella has multiple POVs and many characters。 While this added depth to the storytelling， it also sometimes got a bit confusing。 Just as I would start to orient myself and understand each characters backstory， the novella would end and move onto the next one。 I don't necessarily think this is a bad thing at all - but I would've been happy to read three full novels for each of these stories。 While each novella has a completely different plot， they all had the same dark/sorrowful/realist atmosphere。 Some of them are set near the real neighborhood in Shenyang known as Yanfen street （which is where the author grew up - and where the title originates）。 The Translator's note at the beginning was SO HELPFUL for setting the scene of the novellas and giving some cultural context。 Yanfen street was described as a dull and muddy rough neighborhood （from what I can tell， in the 90s）- although today it is apparently a bustling metropolis。 In addition to the setting， I noticed a lot of Chinese history wound into the storytelling， with many references to the cultural revolution （1966-1976） and Chairman Mao Zedong。 There's also a lot of conversation on the shift from communism to a market economy， and rampant poverty。 If you have an interest and some background in Chinese history or economics/politics in general， I would highly recommend this book。 I would say I have minimal knowledge on this topic， so a few times I did google searches to educate myself a bit more on historical references which added more depth to the experience。 I am sure that if you already have this knowledge， some of the details and dialogue would would be much more clear and impactful。The true beauty of this book is in the details， not in the overarching plot。----------This is a set of novellas I would recommend for someone who is willing to cherish them and spend quality time reading。 I spent about a month on them， and I'm honestly glad I did。 They were a bit dense for me， and I think that is mostly because of the cultural references I did not always understand， and the large number of characters and storylines。 Overall， the prose was really beautiful， the few magical realism elements were intriguing， the setting was bleak but compelling， and it was truly a gem to read！！ 。。。more
Mel
，
**I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley。**I really enjoyed this trio of novellas - and I'm not normally one for novellas。 I always tend to feel that they should have been shoved to either end of the spectrum - either cut to make a short story， or elongated to make a proper novel - but I didn't feel that at all here。 Oh， to be sure， I thought the endings of the first two novellas were a little rushed （the ending of the third one， however， was pretty perfect）， but it didn't bother me as mu **I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley。**I really enjoyed this trio of novellas - and I'm not normally one for novellas。 I always tend to feel that they should have been shoved to either end of the spectrum - either cut to make a short story， or elongated to make a proper novel - but I didn't feel that at all here。 Oh， to be sure， I thought the endings of the first two novellas were a little rushed （the ending of the third one， however， was pretty perfect）， but it didn't bother me as much as it might have， and that's down to the strength of Shuang's writing。 His writing reads quickly， and contains just the right amount of detail。 And his characters - some of whom only get the bare minimum amount of page time - all feel realistically rendered。 Although I do kind of wish the endings of the first two novellas had been fleshed out a bit more， I would still be interested in reading more of Shuang's writing。 。。。more
J。
，
Thank you to both #NetGalley and Henry Holt & Company/Metropolitan Books for providing me an advance copy of Shuang Xuetao’s English-language debut novel， Rogue Street in exchange for an honest review。 #RogueStreet is that novel from AP English class that you would not necessarily read if it had not been assigned， but after you do， you hold a special place in your heart for it and remember it forever。 Rogue Street is certainly one of those novels that makes you think。 It is also very well-writte Thank you to both #NetGalley and Henry Holt & Company/Metropolitan Books for providing me an advance copy of Shuang Xuetao’s English-language debut novel， Rogue Street in exchange for an honest review。 #RogueStreet is that novel from AP English class that you would not necessarily read if it had not been assigned， but after you do， you hold a special place in your heart for it and remember it forever。 Rogue Street is certainly one of those novels that makes you think。 It is also very well-written and uses some refreshing concepts for plotlines。 I keep saying novel， but the book was actually more like three novellas combined。 Although I thoroughly enjoyed reading some good prose， I do need to warn prospective readers that some sections are dark and downright depressing。 Despite a few fantastical elements， this is definitely more akin to literary fiction than magical realism。 Overall， the uniqueness of the stories is what really makes it worth the read。 However， I would recommend reading it when you are in the mood for something cerebral。 These are not stories that you can breeze through and you may miss the genius in them if you force yourself to do so。 。。。more
Wolfie （wolfgang。reads）
，
Wow！ This is a fantastic collection of novellas。 It's realism with some fantasy elements and subtle dark humor set in a gritty area in Northeast China， which seems to transcend the stories and almost becomes a supporting character in all three novellas。 Nostalgia plays a big role here， as does observing how everyday interactions， whether big or small， shape who we are。Engaging translation， poignant stories。 Wow！ This is a fantastic collection of novellas。 It's realism with some fantasy elements and subtle dark humor set in a gritty area in Northeast China， which seems to transcend the stories and almost becomes a supporting character in all three novellas。 Nostalgia plays a big role here， as does observing how everyday interactions， whether big or small， shape who we are。Engaging translation， poignant stories。 。。。more
Leighton
，