I won’t profess to be an expert on Chinese Revolution/Mao literature, but I have read a few books based on/about that time in Chinese history. And the one thing that really struck me was how tame it was compared to the other books. The only reference to the time was that the main character and his friend, Luo, were in the mountains because they were being re-educated. Sure, the revolution is there in the background, but it’s not a forceful presence. In the end, then, this novel is a gentler, kinder look at the harshness of the re-education program. I’m not sure if it’s a good thing, but it was interesting.

The basic plot of the story is when our narrator (whose name you never find out) and Luo discover that their friend, Four Eyes (don’t you love Chinese names?), has a leather suitcase full of Chinese translations of forbidden Western novels. The friends decide that they want to read them, do all sorts of interesting (and possibly stupid) things in order to get Four Eyes to give them a book. They start with a novel by Balzac, which they love. Luo takes it to the next village to read to their friend, Little Seamstress, and that ends up in an affair between the two (well… not really an affair, since neither was married, but you get the point). This book leads to a desire for more, and so they steal the suitcase from Four Eyes. They devour the books, manage not to get caught, but because of them, their lives — and especially the life of Little Seamstress — is changed forever.

Aside from the gentle tone of the book, and the general promotion of freedom of stories (or storytelling; that should be a basic right: to be able to tell all kinds of stories without censorship… though I guess that’s covered in freedom of the press!), the book wasn’t one that I could sink my teeth in to. It was a quick read, and I didn’t dislike it… I just didn’t find myself caring much one way or the other for most of the book. I did care at one point, near the end, but then the ending came so abruptly, I was kind of thrown. I’m still trying to figure it out. Thankfully, though, it was a read for my online book group, so there’s lots of opportunity for discussion. Becuase I think that’s one thing that can be said for this book: it’s a good one to discuss.