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lynleybidlake's review
challenging
dark
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Murder, and Infidelity
Minor: War and Suicide
doric's review
adventurous
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Murder, Sexual content, and Suicide
a_serpent_with_corners's review
dark
funny
fast-paced
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
An irreverent take on 'revolution plus love' stories in which sexual and revolutionary fervour are indistinguishable. This seems to be a particular interest of Yan's - I haven't read Serve the People, but the premise doesn't seem like it's a million miles away from this.
I found it compelling to read - it's written in synaesthesiac, propaganda-flavoured prose and Aijun's ludicrous posturing is generally amusing. However, it's ultimately telling the same joke for over 400 pages, so I found there were diminishing returns on the humour to some extent.
Strangely, you almost do begin to believe in the love story at the centre of the novel, and I found myself almost - but not quite - rooting for our unscrupulous heroes.
I think part of what makes this possible is the almost cartoonish way that the physical and ideological violence of the Cultural Revolution is depicted. In that sense, it may have something in common with some of Yu Hua's parodic short stories - I'm thinking especially of Nineteen Eighty-Six, as well as the violence in many of his other works from the '80s. But whereas those were disorientating dismemberments of genre, Yan's novel uses its ludicrous violence for more straightforward satire. If there is ambiguity in the novel, I suppose it comes from how you see the romance between the central couple.
I found it compelling to read - it's written in synaesthesiac, propaganda-flavoured prose and Aijun's ludicrous posturing is generally amusing. However, it's ultimately telling the same joke for over 400 pages, so I found there were diminishing returns on the humour to some extent.
Strangely, you almost do begin to believe in the love story at the centre of the novel, and I found myself almost - but not quite - rooting for our unscrupulous heroes.
I think part of what makes this possible is the almost cartoonish way that the physical and ideological violence of the Cultural Revolution is depicted. In that sense, it may have something in common with some of Yu Hua's parodic short stories - I'm thinking especially of Nineteen Eighty-Six, as well as the violence in many of his other works from the '80s. But whereas those were disorientating dismemberments of genre, Yan's novel uses its ludicrous violence for more straightforward satire. If there is ambiguity in the novel, I suppose it comes from how you see the romance between the central couple.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Murder, Violence, Infidelity, and Confinement
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