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A review by johannalm
Kinder Than Solitude by Yiyun Li
4.0
Kinder the Solitude, Yiyun Li
Li is an exceptional writer. I loved the first novel I read by her, The Vagrants, about a small Chinese city and the overwhelming negative effect all-controlling communism has on people's lives. Someone is always watching you and is ready to turn you over to the authorities for any wrong step or word. Li writes about China in a way that brings to life the sad, scared, suffocating and depressing lives lived under communism. This new novel focuses on modern China and three young people growing up in Beijing. There are a variety of lives to learn about, and a mysterious tragedy that lead each to even greater loneliness and hopelessness. But it is the culture that is the star of the novel for me because it shows how Chinese communism demands oppression of emotions, openness, and connection.The struggles for everyday survival, the poverty, the ever present hand of the government controlling where you live, your ability to work, etc., is fascinating. I think I like her work so much because you learn so much about a culture so different from ours. I also value her work for the beauty of the writing.
Li is an exceptional writer. I loved the first novel I read by her, The Vagrants, about a small Chinese city and the overwhelming negative effect all-controlling communism has on people's lives. Someone is always watching you and is ready to turn you over to the authorities for any wrong step or word. Li writes about China in a way that brings to life the sad, scared, suffocating and depressing lives lived under communism. This new novel focuses on modern China and three young people growing up in Beijing. There are a variety of lives to learn about, and a mysterious tragedy that lead each to even greater loneliness and hopelessness. But it is the culture that is the star of the novel for me because it shows how Chinese communism demands oppression of emotions, openness, and connection.The struggles for everyday survival, the poverty, the ever present hand of the government controlling where you live, your ability to work, etc., is fascinating. I think I like her work so much because you learn so much about a culture so different from ours. I also value her work for the beauty of the writing.