Life and Death Are Wearing Me Out

April 1, 2008
Mo Yan's ("Big Breasts & Wide Hips") latest epic novel spans the years 19502000 and opens with landowner Ximen Nao, executed in Mao's Land Reform Movement of 1948, being fried to a crisp in hell. After negotiating with the king of the underworld, Nao returns to his village reincarnated in turn as a donkey, an ox, a pig, a dog, a monkey, and, finally, a big-headed boy. Though the concept is intriguing, the existence of multiple narrators often makes the story difficult to follow (the list of some dozen characters in the opening does, at least, help readers keep track of who's who). Also, the author liberally references a character sharing his own name who is very similar to himself throughout the story. These references seem unnecessary, narcissistic, and annoyingly disruptive to the narrative flow. Yan does manage to convey the difficulties of village life, complex character relationships, and occasional humor. But his work is not for the average reader and requires immense patience to follow through to the end. Academic and large public libraries with collections of translated works by Chinese authors will probably want to consider.Shirley N. Quan, Orange Cty. P.L., Santa Ana, CA

Copyright 2008 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 1, 2008
No good deed goes unpunished, the saying goes. Thats certainly the case for Ximen Nao, the unlikely hero of Mo Yans new novel. During Maos Land Reform Movement of 1948, the beneficent landowner is robbed of his property, then put to death. He endures prolonged torture in hell before he is allowed to return to Earthand his own farm. Alas, theres a catch. Hell be coming back as a donkey, then an ox, a pig, a dog, a monkey, and finally, a large-headed boy. Narrating from the perspective of each animal, and a couple of humans, too, Mo Yan (Big Breasts and Wide Hips, 2004) takes aim at political and cultural ills that plague his native land. (He also mockingly refers to himself in the third person as a novelist whose stories are filled with foggy details and speculation, and should be used for reference only.) Mo Yan is known for his prickly and provocative writing; his characters here are engaging andtheir observations often profound, but the novel becomes a bit tiresome by the time the simian scenario comes around.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2008, American Library Association.)