A review by heathcliff
The Wedding Party by Liu Xinwu

funny informative reflective medium-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? N/A

4.0

Key standouts: jostling mother of the groom and substitute mother of the bride seventh aunt, acting like every overbearing matriarch you know at a Chinese wedding. The earnest sous chef, who is just trying to do a good job. The unappreciated eldest daughter in law, trying to hold the fort. The opera singer/performer Zhizhu and her jealous husband the factory worker Li Kai. Xiuya the bride and her materialism. The fact that the children’s names are Bamboo and Lotus. The social commentary on China’s modernisation in the 1980s.

This book has it all — even, dare I say, a kind of argument for polyamory from the eccentric Dr Mu Ying?

The subtitles of each chapter gives the novel a bit of a sitcom quality. I like that it balances the tone well, so that it doesn’t become to slapstick nor too serious. The extent to which the author is able to sketch out depth of character is seriously impressive, given how many characters are introduced in the span of the 377 pages. By and large, every character feels like a Real Human. The siheyuan feels alive and a character in and of itself as well.