Reviews with content warning for Police brutality - Land of Big Numbers

A really thoughtful an quiet but analytical short story collection focusing on China's history and cultural norms, politics, social connections and relationships. As with any short story collection, some stories packed more punch than others, particularly Land of Big Numbers, Flying Machine, and Hotline Girl, and these are the ones that will stay with me longer.

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mandkips's review

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challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? N/A
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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randomuser's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No

3.5

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goldenluck's review against another edition

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challenging dark informative inspiring slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

3.5

This book gets as low a rating as it does simply because I expected something else and this isn't my cup of tea. Anthologies or short story collections are really not my thing, so while I ordinarily would not have picked this up and won't be rereading it anytime soon, I'm glad I read this. The stories felt real and ethereal at the same time, both grounded and far away. I studied Chinese language and peripherally culture for five years as a teen, and this brought a new, much harsher perspective to what actual China and its people are like. It's one of those books that, after completion, makes you close it and then you sit there pondering about life for hours on end. I see China in a new light - not bad, not good, just new.

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jayisreading's review against another edition

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emotional reflective medium-paced

4.0

This was an interesting collection of short stories focused on the everyday life of China (though there were two stories that did not completely take place in the country). What I particularly liked about Land of Big Numbers is that Chen reveals a kind of universality in experiencing all kinds of emotions and the general messiness of life. Furthermore, Chen explores through her characters and settings what it’s like to live in modern-day China.

The writing is restrained and eloquent, for a lack of a better description. What I mean by this is that Chen asks for the reader to read between the lines; to be suspended in what is reality in China and not what media depicts (in other words, the beauty and horror of society isn’t all that different from everywhere else); to sit in the tragic and beautiful mess that humans make of themselves.

Each story is quite unique, and they are all diverse in tone and approach. However, like most other collections of short stories, I was drawn to certain stories more than others. My favorites were: “Lulu,” “New Fruit,” “Field Notes on a Marriage,” “Shanghai Murmur” (though I’ll say this was because the descriptions of the city reminded me of my time there), and “Gubeikou Spirit.”

Note: I received an ARC through a giveaway.

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adriennne's review

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4.0

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