Two city boys find themselves exiled to a mountain village for re-education in the early 70's in this novel which explores the Chinese Cultural Revolution and its impact on the young intellectuals of China.Sijie spins a witty tale centered around the ban on books during this time in history. The simple writing style draws the reader into the story. Sijie succeeds in transporting the reader into the mountain village amongst the interesting peasant people.
I have to admit to some disappointment with this book, although I'm not certain why it left me somewhat unsatisfied. My favorite parts were the narrator's descriptions of the beloved books, stolen from another "city boy" and hidden in the house on stilts. In the end, a twist to the story left me feeling oddly empty, when the re-education seems to have happened to a country girl - the little seamstress - rather than the two boys.
I read this book January 8, 2007 and rated it 3.5/5. A quick read.
Why Was it Banned?
This book was banned in China because of its unfavorable portrayal of the Chinese government.
2 comments:
You felt "oddly empty" because you missed the whole point of this book. The author was saying that the two boys were educated urban youth. It was the villagers who needed educating. So the whole cultural revolution in China was a big joke.
Actually, I didn't miss the whole point of the book - I "got it", but I still didn't like the book and it did leave me empty. Perhaps it was that ultimately I didn't care about any of the characters.
Post a Comment