A review by lbrex
The Fat Years by Chan Koonchung

3.0

Certainly interesting, but the final 50 pages are a slog. I bought it given that Chan grew up in Hong Kong and thought it would be a worthwhile read for a recent trip to Hong Kong. I learned a lot about dissent and protest in contemporary China, and the book proved especially revealing in connection with the 20th anniversary of the protests and massacre in Tiananmen Square. In effect, I received a history lesson that I would have benefitted from years ago. As a novel, though, this book doesn't work very well. The plot culminates in what is a long essay uttered by a single character under rather odd circumstances. though this essay is valuable, it doesn't provide a fitting end to the narrative. This book is probably best suited to those studying contemporary China or those interested in the novel form and its relation to protest.