A review by rosellareads
Red Sorghum by Mo Yan

challenging dark tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.75

This is anything but a light read. The author clearly takes delight in describing one bloody, cruel scene in graphic detail after another. His writing style is quite dense, a lot of description and metaphors and only few pages don't contain the word 'sorghum'. He jumps to flash backs without any warning and characters are described as 'father' 'grandmother', even though the grandson is never part of the story, which it all makes for an individual literary style. I found the book too heavy handed and sadistic.
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