Zheng's review
Waiting: A Novel
by Ha Jin
Zheng's review
Waiting: A Novel by Ha Jin
Zheng's review
rating:
bookshelves:
literature
As someone who grew up in China, I found the characters very real. I read many reviews about this book talking about how none of characters are likable, except for the simple peasant ex-wife of Lin's.
But I think that is what the author was trying to tell us-that the system reduced every individual's humanity and individuality to the extent no one was a complete person anymore. The only reason that the simple peasant wife Shuyu seems to be more likable is because she was more human than anyone else. She was more human because her life was much less controlled by the government in the remote countryside, so her humanity is much less distorted.
I think it is a great love story because it shows how fragile human love and decency is and how easy it is to destroy what is beautiful.
But I think that is what the author was trying to tell us-that the system reduced every individual's humanity and individuality to the extent no one was a complete person anymore. The only reason that the simple peasant wife Shuyu seems to be more likable is because she was more human than anyone else. She was more human because her life was much less controlled by the government in the remote countryside, so her humanity is much less distorted.
I think it is a great love story because it shows how fragile human love and decency is and how easy it is to destroy what is beautiful.
