Buy on Amazon.com
Goodreads
My rating: 7 out of 10.
This is the first book of a Chinese author I've read. I can't say I'm interested in China, it doesn't fascinate me, unlike North Korea. Besides, I find the cover frightening.
But I saw very contradictory reviews on Amazon. In my experience when one person says "It's a wonderful book, let's read it, everybody!", and when the other says "Oh my god, it was terrible, why would someone want to read this book?!", this means that the book is not simple at all, and it's worth reading.
So Boy in the Twilight is a collection of small stories, which describe to us life in modern China. I have to admit, I know very little about the mentality of Chinese people, since I don't know anyone from China and am not familiar with their literature. Еhis book was like a little adventure to the mysterious eastern soul.
The stories are independent, and I found only one connection between them, about the boys, whose father operated on himself. Each story is happening in a new place, new characters are introduced briefly, but vividly. The author definitely has a sense of humor, but the title story is really sad and can put off some sensitive readers.
Be assured, the rest of the book is not as distressful.
I would recommend this book to anyone, but be ready to read it. It requires some effort. I don't mean it's boring, since I couldn't put it down. I mean that the book is not empty and gives you an opportunity to think about our life.
Ниже обзор на русском языке.
Goodreads
My rating: 7 out of 10.
This is the first book of a Chinese author I've read. I can't say I'm interested in China, it doesn't fascinate me, unlike North Korea. Besides, I find the cover frightening.
But I saw very contradictory reviews on Amazon. In my experience when one person says "It's a wonderful book, let's read it, everybody!", and when the other says "Oh my god, it was terrible, why would someone want to read this book?!", this means that the book is not simple at all, and it's worth reading.
So Boy in the Twilight is a collection of small stories, which describe to us life in modern China. I have to admit, I know very little about the mentality of Chinese people, since I don't know anyone from China and am not familiar with their literature. Еhis book was like a little adventure to the mysterious eastern soul.
The stories are independent, and I found only one connection between them, about the boys, whose father operated on himself. Each story is happening in a new place, new characters are introduced briefly, but vividly. The author definitely has a sense of humor, but the title story is really sad and can put off some sensitive readers.
Be assured, the rest of the book is not as distressful.
Kunshan left his house with a toothpick in one hand and a shiny kitchen cleaver in the other. He was threatening to slaughter Shi Gang. "Even if I decide to let him off with his life," he said, "I'm still going to keep a piece of him as a souvenir." As for just where this cut of meat would come from, Kunshan believed this would depend on how good a dodger Shi Gang proved to be.I did a little research and it turns out the author is really famous, one of the most famous and best-selling Chinese writers. His books were translated to many languages, apparently besides Russian, no surprise here. Yu Hua is also noted due to the detailed scenes of violence pictured in his books, as Wikipedia suggests, and I tend to agree (the scenes are there and they are detailed).
I would recommend this book to anyone, but be ready to read it. It requires some effort. I don't mean it's boring, since I couldn't put it down. I mean that the book is not empty and gives you an opportunity to think about our life.
Ниже обзор на русском языке.
