I’ve been struggling getting into short story collections lately — but this one was wonderful and reminded me what I really enjoy about reading short stories.
This was a collection of stories that shows the lives of seemingly ordinary people from modern-day China. Really, though, in many of the stories, the characters are so normal, so relatable, you almost forget that they are set within the context of being governed by an authoritarian government until everything goes wrong. From the brilliant student turned imprisoned anti-government activist to the engineer who has worked his whole live to create the perfect invention that will finally get him accepted into the Party that he’s coveted an invitation into his whole life, to the woman just trying to get home after a long day at work who gets trapped in the subway because of “rules,” these stories are haunting and are stories that will stick with me.
Disclaimer: Thank you to NetGalley and Mariner Books for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exch ange for my honest review. It has not influenced my opinion.