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russlemania's review
5.0
A succinct, but intriguing little novella. I winced at how brutal it could get at some parts, and was surprised by one particular turn in the middle of the book that took the story in an interesting direction. A book that explores the darker sickliness and stickiness of blood ties, particularly in close knit families and communities. I am definitely going to try this author's full length novels in the future.
ckjaer88's review against another edition
3.0
Vild fortælling, der på en eller anden måde virker helt naturlig for det kinesiske folk.
emsemsems's review
5.0
Is Asian Gothic/Chinese Gothic a genre? I doubt it, but if it was, this would be the epitome of that. Read it in one sitting whilst having a bowl of hot soup - which was simply coincidental but definitely makes the reading experience that much weirder.
Brilliant translator; and a very well organised/composed story. It's easy to get distracted and lose focus in these sort of 'surreal' stories, but I think the writer really holds the readers' attention well with the way he's written this. It almost felt like every line was very intentional and meticulously arranged. It reads like a dark fairytale/folktale.
Brilliant translator; and a very well organised/composed story. It's easy to get distracted and lose focus in these sort of 'surreal' stories, but I think the writer really holds the readers' attention well with the way he's written this. It almost felt like every line was very intentional and meticulously arranged. It reads like a dark fairytale/folktale.
mochand's review
3.0
A short but frank exploration of the lengths a mother would go to to raise her children that can be read during a third world tech detox power cut. Personally prefer the title "Sky Song of the Balou Mountain" and I have absolutely no idea why the translator decided to give an entire plot summary in the opening note at the beginning (fortunately skipped it). The characters are straightforward and brutal and while it is short you really connect with the struggles of the mother raising mentally disabled children. In a way it's a glorification of a mother's devotion but also a critique of how that obsession can lead to bad decisions. Even at the end of the book you're left wondering about the fate of the third daughter. Sure she is cured, but her mothers obsession's with finding her a "wholer" (and her own but it's hard to say if she even had the capacity to realize what she was getting into), means it seems unlikely that she gets the happy ending that's promised. And it also leaves us with chilling reminder that this cycle of sacrifice means that the pregnancies that were seen as a blessing after all their hardships, may turn to be a "curse'.
tiffany_lishan's review against another edition
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cannibalism, Incest, and Mental illness
boezaaah's review
4.0
"...an apple orchard with no apples. The orchard represented the family's hopes and dreams."
This book was... something. I really, really, really enjoyed it because it was so different to anything I had ever read, but at the same time it was just... so strange. It's definitely a book that made me uncomfortable on more than one occasion but I think that's what added to it's appeal to me. I love weird shit so this was right up my alley and I'd really love to check out more of Yan Lianke's work!
This book was... something. I really, really, really enjoyed it because it was so different to anything I had ever read, but at the same time it was just... so strange. It's definitely a book that made me uncomfortable on more than one occasion but I think that's what added to it's appeal to me. I love weird shit so this was right up my alley and I'd really love to check out more of Yan Lianke's work!
localbonbon's review
4.0
First published in 1999, Yan Lianke’s Marrow is a grotesque and disturbing portrait that explores the dynamics of a family from a small village of provincial China. It was then translated in 2015 and published in English by the Penguin Group. Yan Lianke is often dubbed as the “master of imaginative satire”. The You family’s story reveals the magnitude of a mother’s sacrifice and family responsibility—providing a compelling short read for reader’s seeking for an introduction to texts from foreign authors.
Yan Lianke is a renowned Chinese writer who has gained international acclaim and recognition through multiple literary prizes for works that are both distinctive in terms of their style and subject matter. Yan Lianke describes himself as “a traitor of literary writing” and it is this nonconformity to traditional writing styles that differentiates him from other Chinese writers. In his writing, Lianke draws from the experiences of his personal life: as a child who was born and had grown up in an impoverished area of Henan and as a propaganda writer in the army. The subject matter of his work often oscillates between civilian life and military themes as he reveals the brutal living conditions of peasants. Through confronting imageries and characterisation, Lianke assesses the flaws and consequences of the rapid economic development in modern China.
Marrow entails the story of a dysfunctional family from provincial China “in a small village deep in the Balou mountains.” The haunting narrative chronicles the journey of a single mother, referred to as ‘Fourth Wife You’ throughout the novel, her four ‘idiot children’, and the extreme measures she takes to ‘cure’ her children who all suffer from a hereditary disease passed on by the paternal side of the family. Yan Lianke provides a sarcastic and humorous outlook on the morbid situation of the You family. He draws from his own experiences—allowing him to create tantalising descriptions of the rural landscape, and the untold experiences of sacrifice, avarice and desperation that characterises the lives of the denizens of Balou Mountains.
In Marrow, Lianke presents the poignant irony of how such a brutal and macabre act of a mother’s sacrifice is justified and humanised in the context of the novel as it draws sympathy and empathy from reader through the exploration of family dynamics within the novel. Fourth Wife You’s disabled children show very little regard and respect for her and, instead, are demanding, lazy and rude towards her. The power-play within their dysfunctional family is contorted as Fourth Wife You’s maternal instincts prevail over the Confucian philosophy of filial piety and she continues to serve and take care of them, regardless. Dialogue is often used to illustrate the dynamics of the family and reveal how the traditional structure is distorted as seen in Fourth Wife You’s reaction to Stone You’s death, “Father of our baby…where have you gone Father of our child?”. Although in disbelief, the husband’s death becomes another contributing factor that transfers the responsibility of the head of the family to Fourth Wife You. In “I’ve already beaten your brother what more do you want?” … “Ma, I want….” The dialogue between her and the children also exemplify how the mother becomes the provider for the family and how it is expected for her to service the needs of her children.
This absurd and chilling story of the You Family is one of Lianke’s earlier published works that are essential for understanding his more complex texts that criticise the politics and society of modern China. The novel features key themes that are also later developed in his more critically acclaimed works like The Four Books and Lenin’s Kisses. Marrow begins to introduce and investigate some to the recurring themes of power-play, disability and culture that are all apparent in his more critically acclaimed, satirical bodies of work. Through surreal imageries of the supernatural and the grotesque, Lianke provides an affecting snippet of a life tormented by familial burden, personal failures, economic adversities, governmental neglect, and the scarcity of hope. Aalthough the setting of the story, with its evocative landscapes, is surreal and enthralling—Marrow features a gruesome and bizarre turn of events that will speak to one’s memory and will more than satisfy as a quick read.
Yan Lianke is a renowned Chinese writer who has gained international acclaim and recognition through multiple literary prizes for works that are both distinctive in terms of their style and subject matter. Yan Lianke describes himself as “a traitor of literary writing” and it is this nonconformity to traditional writing styles that differentiates him from other Chinese writers. In his writing, Lianke draws from the experiences of his personal life: as a child who was born and had grown up in an impoverished area of Henan and as a propaganda writer in the army. The subject matter of his work often oscillates between civilian life and military themes as he reveals the brutal living conditions of peasants. Through confronting imageries and characterisation, Lianke assesses the flaws and consequences of the rapid economic development in modern China.
Marrow entails the story of a dysfunctional family from provincial China “in a small village deep in the Balou mountains.” The haunting narrative chronicles the journey of a single mother, referred to as ‘Fourth Wife You’ throughout the novel, her four ‘idiot children’, and the extreme measures she takes to ‘cure’ her children who all suffer from a hereditary disease passed on by the paternal side of the family. Yan Lianke provides a sarcastic and humorous outlook on the morbid situation of the You family. He draws from his own experiences—allowing him to create tantalising descriptions of the rural landscape, and the untold experiences of sacrifice, avarice and desperation that characterises the lives of the denizens of Balou Mountains.
In Marrow, Lianke presents the poignant irony of how such a brutal and macabre act of a mother’s sacrifice is justified and humanised in the context of the novel as it draws sympathy and empathy from reader through the exploration of family dynamics within the novel. Fourth Wife You’s disabled children show very little regard and respect for her and, instead, are demanding, lazy and rude towards her. The power-play within their dysfunctional family is contorted as Fourth Wife You’s maternal instincts prevail over the Confucian philosophy of filial piety and she continues to serve and take care of them, regardless. Dialogue is often used to illustrate the dynamics of the family and reveal how the traditional structure is distorted as seen in Fourth Wife You’s reaction to Stone You’s death, “Father of our baby…where have you gone Father of our child?”. Although in disbelief, the husband’s death becomes another contributing factor that transfers the responsibility of the head of the family to Fourth Wife You. In “I’ve already beaten your brother what more do you want?” … “Ma, I want….” The dialogue between her and the children also exemplify how the mother becomes the provider for the family and how it is expected for her to service the needs of her children.
This absurd and chilling story of the You Family is one of Lianke’s earlier published works that are essential for understanding his more complex texts that criticise the politics and society of modern China. The novel features key themes that are also later developed in his more critically acclaimed works like The Four Books and Lenin’s Kisses. Marrow begins to introduce and investigate some to the recurring themes of power-play, disability and culture that are all apparent in his more critically acclaimed, satirical bodies of work. Through surreal imageries of the supernatural and the grotesque, Lianke provides an affecting snippet of a life tormented by familial burden, personal failures, economic adversities, governmental neglect, and the scarcity of hope. Aalthough the setting of the story, with its evocative landscapes, is surreal and enthralling—Marrow features a gruesome and bizarre turn of events that will speak to one’s memory and will more than satisfy as a quick read.
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