Reviews with content warning for Vomit - Strange Beasts of China

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Strange Beasts of China by Yan Ge

18 reviews

horizonous's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

3.5

This is definitely a strange book and I feel like I missed a lot of social commentary. What I enjoyed the most is this hazy, almost dreamlike atmosphere and the beasts. There are some parts that left me a bit confused, but overall a fascinating book.

I think this type of short story collections, where the stories all follow a connected thread work a lot better for me than a book filled with separate stories.

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maybephasing's review against another edition

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emotional reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.5

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lucky_stars's review

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

I want to get my hands on the original Chinese since I definitely feel like some things had to be lost in translation. (Even if my Chinese isn’t the best, I’d be willing to struggle for this if I get the extra money to purchase a copy of 异兽志).

Although I might also be saying that because I spent a good portion of the book feeling like I was missing something. Sometimes things connected in ways that seemed impossible since the supposed conclusion reached in one story was contradicted in another.

The narrator’s relationship with the professor was one that endlessly confused me, even as it intrigued me. At times I thought they were lovers, other times just more disappointed mentor and student,

and with the Heartsick Beasts story maybe literal creator and invention

. The only consistency was the very unhealthy relationship, a common thread in a book that blurs the line between what it means to be beastly. (Lucia is perfect though and I won’t hear a word against her.)

The beasts are brilliantly constructed, although repetitive at times since there is so much death and melancholy. My favorite stories were the Impasse Beasts, the Heartsick Beasts, and the Flourishing Beasts.

The setting of Yong’an is hard to pin down. Most of the time is spent in either the Dolphin Bar or the narrator’s apartment, with a whole lot of un-described mostly unremarkable restaurants that Zhong Liang drags her to. However, despite this, I couldn’t offer a description of any of these locations. There are references to more concrete areas when talking about where the beasts live that are more conversational. These places feel real and made me feel like the narrator was letting me in on some deep secret. The timeline is similarly opaque. You’re left in this timeless place where the only way you can track things is based on subtle hits from secondary characters (their deaths, their institutionalization, their references to the narrator’s books/newspaper column being published). It’s very hypnotic and surreal. It’s strange yes (made even stranger by the epilogue), but there’s whimsy in it even as the beasts brutally commit suicide or otherwise die.

Common thematic ideas: Beasts are whoever the government decides to disenfranchise; Living must include pain to be worthwhile and Death is inevitable (and even an escape from living); People are beasts; Identity is a narrative, not a static idea.

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breeoxd's review

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This book is beyond strange, but anything that pulls me in so completely has to be a 5 star book. The author is an exceptional craftswoman. One of those books where you know it’s an immediate reread. Note to other readers- look for the critical essays written on this one to add further richness to your experience.

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chocolate_pondue's review

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I liked the story of the beasts even though they were all sorrowful. However the underlying story of main character and those around her was getting tedious and annoying. All the main character seemed to do was drink, have nightmares, and cry. She had her hand in the solution to some of the stories but it all just to be happening around her and not with her. Overall, I was getting tired of the repetitiveness of the stories.

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lanid's review

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adventurous dark mysterious

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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laurareads87's review against another edition

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mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.0

Strange Beasts of China follows an unnamed narrator who writes about beasts: creatures of various kinds who inhabit the city of Yong'an and who are different in some way but 'otherwise are just the same as humans.' Each chapter relates the story of one type of beast, while also touching on the relationships between the narrator and other characters, particularly her professor and his assistant. The whole book has a sort of eerie, mysterious tone, and the writing is beautiful. The author addresses many themes -- labour exploitation, gendered oppression, urban alienation, grief -- in nuanced ways. I will say I did like the beginning of the book more than the ending, and the 'twists' at the end felt abrupt and a bit out of place, but overall I really enjoyed this and would happily read more from the same author.

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spaceteapot's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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antixlibrary's review

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dark mysterious reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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flyawaytruelove's review against another edition

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mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

3.75

It was a light read to me! I was not expecting the change in format; rather than being one solid story, it instead is divided up into short stories that deal with each type of beast. Looking back, I appreciate this format as it helps highlight each type specifically whereas in a typical format, it might be hard to include everyone.

My favorite type of beast was the Joyous Beasts. I personally thought their lifecycle was the most unique (and maybe a bit horrifying) out of all of them. Heartsick Beasts are a close second.

I didn't feel like the narrator developed too drastically as the book. There were some points where her behavior felt a bit predictable, but she developed! Maybe as not as I hoped.

Overall, I think it's a good read! It's short and sweet so no harm in trying it.

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