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Braised Pork

An Yu (Goodreads Author)

3.70 · Rating details · 254 ratings · 73 reviews

One morning in autumn, Jia Jia walks into the bathroom of her Beijing apartment to find her husband - with whom she had been breakfasting barely an hour before - dead in the bathtub. Next to him a piece of paper unfolds like the wings of a butterfly, and on it is an image that Jia Jia can't forget.

Profoundly troubled by what she has seen, even while she is abruptly ...more

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Paperback, 240 pages

Published January 9th 2020 by Harvill Secker

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Booker Prize Eligible 2020

147 books — 36 voters

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· 254 ratings · 73 reviews

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Jan 14, 2020 Adina rated it really liked it

Shelves: netgalley, china

An Yu grew up in Beijing and received her M.F.A. from New York University. Although she is now based in China, she writes in English. Braised Pork is her debut novel written during her time spent in New York. From my research on the internet Ms Yu received an advance of six figures for two books so there is lot of expectancy for this novel and I can understand why.

First of all, the title is brilliant, it draws the attention and makes you want to find out what made the author to choose a dish as ...more

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Oct 22, 2019 Blair rated it really liked it

Shelves: contemporary, read-on-kindle, netgalley, macabre-slipstream-weird, first-novels, 2020-release

Jia Jia's life is uneventful until the day she comes home to find her husband, Chen Hang, drowned in the bath. He leaves her with an apartment she can't sell and little else, except a strange drawing depicting what she calls 'the fish-man' – a figure with a fish's body and a man's head. Jia Jia, who is an artist, becomes somewhat obsessed with recreating the drawing, but finds the man's face so unremarkable she is unable to depict it. In attempting to make sense of Chen Hang's death, she also ...more

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Jan 31, 2020 Meike rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: china, 2020-read

Listen, I really like books that are riddles, that offer me motifs and clues which I have to piece together in order to grasp what’s going on or what it all means. My main issue with this novel is that An Yu provides her readers with tons of dead ends, with scenes and objects which seem meaningful at first and then lead nowhere, and that the picture that does come together in the end is vague and ornamental – to me, that makes for a frustrating read. But if you are the kind of reader who enjoys Listen, I really like books that are riddles, that offer me motifs and clues which I have to piece together in order to grasp what’s going on or what it all means. My main issue with this novel is that An Yu provides her readers with tons of dead ends, with scenes and objects which seem meaningful at first and then lead nowhere, and that the picture that does come together in the end is vague and ornamental – to me, that makes for a frustrating read. But if you are the kind of reader who enjoys being perplexed, who is up for being immersed in a magical world of melancholy and subconscious emotional movements, than this clearly is the book for you.

Our protagonist is Jia Jia, a young painter living in Beijing whose husband mysteriously drowns in a bath tub, leaving behind a sketch of a fish with the head of a man. Jia Jia and her husband had a marriage of convenience, and the relationships between the characters in the novel will turn out to be the main topic An Yu negotiates throughout an otherwise meandering, completely implausible plot (hello, magical realism and narrative over-construction). Jia Jia begins a relationship with Leo who owns the bar next to her apartment, she witnesses the marriage of one of her clients disintegrate, she meets up with her father and his new wife, she travels to Tibet where she meets a man in search for his wife…you get the idea: An Yu meditates about the oscillation between closeness and detachment, the mystery of human connection. In between, a lot of rather enigmatic stuff happens.

To unlock this text (at least partly), you should pay close attention to the theme of water, and, of course, the role of the fish-man from the sketch mentioned above. Jia Jia has trouble painting waves – now think of all the metaphorical qualities of water, because An Yu will pour them right over you and contextualize this measure with the experiences of people in relationships, especially women who are restrained by societal expectations and gender norms. Jia Jia’s hunt for the meaning of the sketch leads her to Tibet, where An Yu opens up an additional metaphorical space that spans from Jia Jia’s painting of a Buddha in Beijing to Tibetan mysticism, and – say what? – tulips. And no worries: The title-giving “Braised Pork” features as well, and it provides an epiphany of authenticity (don’t ask).

This is certainly a daring book because it does not cater to the expectations of the reader, but I have to admit that I found the text often quite exasperating. The meanings that are provided remain vague and thus certainly can’t be called particularly profound. On the other hand, the floating (!) nature of the text and its messages is part of the whole point. So this debut (which was sold in a 7-way-auction) is for readers with a high tolerance for associative writing and perplexing plotlines, which means I’m not the ideal reader for this novel. ...more

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Jan 03, 2020 Resh (The Book Satchel) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

What a fantastic book! Be warned, this is not for the reader who loves a steady, clear plot. Braised Pork has a surreal feel to it, dream-like, melancholic, contemplative. Wu Jia Jia is shocked to find that her husband has died (drowned? Suicide?) in the bath tub. He leaves behind a strange drawing—of a ‘fish-man’. She, being an artist, tries to recreate it but is unable to do so. And so she travels to find the mystery of the fish-man and his connection (maybe) to her husband’s death.

The book What a fantastic book! Be warned, this is not for the reader who loves a steady, clear plot. Braised Pork has a surreal feel to it, dream-like, melancholic, contemplative. Wu Jia Jia is shocked to find that her husband has died (drowned? Suicide?) in the bath tub. He leaves behind a strange drawing—of a ‘fish-man’. She, being an artist, tries to recreate it but is unable to do so. And so she travels to find the mystery of the fish-man and his connection (maybe) to her husband’s death.

The book set in Beijing night life and Tibetan high plains with ample dreams that tiptoe on magical realism, flows like water. Water finds its mention at several places in the book, sometimes as a direct word, sometimes alluded to. The novel alternates between philosophical, dreamy-storytelling and makes the reader reflect on what has happened to the characters. Was Jia Jia’s marriage one of convenience? Will her new found romance with the barman Leo—who describes her as ‘like water’— be a steady relationship or a rebound? Is she happy? We meet a Jia Jia who is visibly liberated through widowhood, free of chains of marriage to a non-encouraging (Chen Hang did not appreciate her art, he would make her feel self-conscious and cover up her birthmark while they have sex) husband and his demanding family.

The title comes from a meal Jia Jia shares with her estranged father. I love how the novel pulls the reader into the present and immediately introduces a character that they feel they know for ages. I hadn’t thought about the father at all, until this point. The act of sharing a meal, reliving memories of her favourite dish of braised pork puts into perspective so many missing pieces in the puzzle. Braised Pork is about finding yourself, being at peace with your past, navigating grief and moving forward.

What I was unsure about?—Maybe there are too many references to ‘water’ and a few might be lost to the reader. Nevertheless, it was an enjoyable read.

Much thanks to Grove Press for a copy of the book. All opinions are my own.

Blog | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook ...more

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Nov 02, 2019 Joseph rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: weird-fiction, contemporary-fiction, netgalley, speculative-fiction, magical-realism

An Yu’s debut novel Braised Pork starts with the grotesque death of businessman Chen Hang in his Beijing apartment. His young wife Jia Jia discovers him drowned in a half-filled bath, face down and “his rump sticking out from the water”. Is it suicide or a freak accident? Jia Jia can’t really say, especially since the couple have long been drifting apart and Chen Hang rarely opened up to her. Jia Jia only has two clues to try to get to the heart of the mystery. One is the strange sketch of what An Yu’s debut novel Braised Pork starts with the grotesque death of businessman Chen Hang in his Beijing apartment. His young wife Jia Jia discovers him drowned in a half-filled bath, face down and “his rump sticking out from the water”. Is it suicide or a freak accident? Jia Jia can’t really say, especially since the couple have long been drifting apart and Chen Hang rarely opened up to her. Jia Jia only has two clues to try to get to the heart of the mystery. One is the strange sketch of what she calls “the fish-man”, a fish with a human head, which she finds in the bathroom close to her husband’s lifeless body. Another is a related, unsettling dream which Chen Hang had whilst on a solitary trip to Tibet and which he had uncharacteristically phoned to tell her about.

Jia Jia’s marriage was built on convenience, not love. Yet this does not make it any easier for her to come to terms with her loss and with the upheaval – both practical and emotional – which her husband’s death brings. This unforeseen tragedy also triggers memories of older pains, including her parents’ separation and her mother’s death. Jia Jia believes that the solution of the “fish-man” enigma might give her the replies she craves, and she finally decides to get to the bottom of the mystery, by recreating Chen Hang’s trip to Tibet. It will become a voyage of (self-) discovery.

An Yu has given us a strange little novel which I’m not sure I managed to come to grips with. There is a strong element of magical realism, characterised by mythical figures (such as the “Grandpa” character Jia Jia meets in Tibet) and obscure dream sequences featuring a mysterious “water world”. Indeed, imagery relating to water permeates the whole novel – a Kindle search tells me that the word “water” is explicitly mentioned 107 times in the book. That, of course, does not include other more oblique allusions and images, including the aquarium bought by Jia Jia’s aunt, the description of the lakes and rivers of Tibet and the smog-tainted snow of Beijing, and even the unexpected mention of Maurice Ravel’s Jeux d’Eau in the final paragraphs of the novel. Jia herself is compared to water: Leo, the barman with whom she attempts a relationship, tells her she is “like water…your beauty is soft and quiet”.

The meaning behind these watery metaphors remains frustratingly elusive. Do they symbolise tears of grief? Is the dark “watery world” a symbol of depression? Few answers are given. And perhaps the author’s intention is precisely that. The magical elements add an aura of mystery and lyricism to what is, at heart, a touching portrayal of a young widow struggling to overcome her loss and make peace with her past.

Braised Pork is an unusual dish, and I’m not sure all its ingredients fit together. But despite my head-scratching, I certainly enjoyed reading it. Apparently, Harvill Secker bought 26-year old An Yu’s debut after a seven-way auction, and have committed to publishing her second novel. This author is going places.

(Full review at https://endsoftheword.blogspot.com/20... ) ...more

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Jan 09, 2020 Melanie (Mel's Bookland Adventures) rated it really liked it

Shelves: read-asia-2020

This must be a first: finishing an arc on the day the book is being published! This is a debut novel by Chinese writer An Yu and so many of the themes in this book deeply resonate with me: family, love, grief, belonging. Let me make it clear that if you don’t like magical realism then this book will not be for you. It is very dream like as Jia Jia who finds her husband dead in the bathtub one day after breakfast. For the first time in her life there is space and time to ponder who she is and ...more

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Jan 24, 2020 Robert rated it really liked it

An Yu’s debut novel, Braised Pork is quite a unique read. I was taken to territories, I never knew existed; part thriller, part magical realism part drama this is the type of book that will surprise the reader many times.

Jia Jia walks home and finds her husband dead in the bathtub. Yet it’s clearly not suicide or accidental drowning. The only clue the husband leaves is a drawing of a half fish/man creature. Jia Jia then decides to uncover the mystery behind this drawing. This leads to a journey ...more

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Feb 13, 2020 Kasa Cotugno rated it really liked it

Shelves: arc, loc-asia-china, culture-china

An Yu, who lives in Beijing, was educated in New York and writes in English. Apparently, this is the reason for her receiving a large advance from her publisher, as her perspective as a Chinese national but writing for a different audience will lend clarity for the English reader of a story set in China without the burden of being translated. The result, a truly immersive novel, hypnotic in tone, with a view of Chinese life more coherent than most. Jia Jia discovers her husband's body dead in ...more

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Jan 31, 2020 Patricia rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: contemporary, family-dynamics, fantasy, advance-reader-s-copy, adventure

After the death of her husband, a woman leaves her home and embarks on an adventure.

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Jan 06, 2020 Jaclyn Crupi rated it really liked it

One morning in autumn, just after breakfast, Jia Jia finds her husband dead in the bathtub of their Beijing apartment. And so begins a truly beguiling story of trangression, folklore and inherited fables. This strongly reminded me of The Vegetarian and it was weird and wonderful in a similiar way. At a sentence level, Yu is a superb writer and I kept having to pause to enjoy her prose. I absolutely loved this. Thanks so much to @beccadiep for recognising I would and sending this my way. I’m sure ...more

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Jan 05, 2020 Jay Moran rated it it was ok

Shelves: 2020-releases

One of my most anticipated releases of the year, I am extremely sad to say that I didn’t like it. I usually preface my reviews with a particular quote I loved or that I felt encapsulated the overall feeling of the book - I realised as I closed Braised Pork that I hadn’t found one.

Reading this book, I found myself perpetually slouching, turning page after page, feeling numb. There were occasional moments that would have me readjust and straighten up in my seat, thinking yes, this is it, this is ...more

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Dec 16, 2019 Sarah rated it it was ok

Shelves: 中国, fiction, netgalley

As a fan of contemporary Chinese literature I was eager to check out Braised Pork, which follows a young Beijing woman - Jia Jia - who embarks on a journey to understand a sketch which appears next to her husband's body when she finds him dead in the bath.

I think this novel will be enjoyed by many others, but unfortunately the story was a bit vague and meandering for my liking. I'd recommend this for fans of more contemplative and quiet novels rather than those that are more plot-driven.

Thank ...more

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Jan 22, 2020 Kirsty rated it it was amazing

Shelves: netgalley, arc

Special thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review

"Even if I take my heart out, dissect it into pieces, and explain each piece in intricate detail to you - in the end, I would still have to stuff the whole damn thing back into my own chest."

I absolutely love this debut novel from Chinese author An Yu.

Wu Jia Jia finds her husband dead with his head in the bathtub and nothing but a drawing of a fish man lying next to him. From there, she tries to figure Special thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review

"Even if I take my heart out, dissect it into pieces, and explain each piece in intricate detail to you - in the end, I would still have to stuff the whole damn thing back into my own chest."

I absolutely love this debut novel from Chinese author An Yu.

Wu Jia Jia finds her husband dead with his head in the bathtub and nothing but a drawing of a fish man lying next to him. From there, she tries to figure out how to move forward with her life while also trying to understand what the drawing of the fish man has to do with her husband's death. Like everyone, she's dealing with her complicated family and love life as well.

Magical realism is a hit or miss for me, and this one was a HIT. An Yu managed to make the characters believable and the story of the fish man intriguing enough without being overbearing. Honestly, the fish man kind of made this a page turner for me cause I really wanted her to find him and understand what was happening to her. I feel that a lot of people don't like magical realism because it can be complicated and difficult to understand, but this is just... perfect. The reader can definitely come to their own conclusions on what the fish man and the world of water means to them, plus they could also have some fun analyzing the novel. Magical realism can also be hard to connect to emotionally, but I truly felt for Jia Jia and her relationship/family/emotional hardships, which made the dream-like sections more interesting because I was with her in them. I wanted to be where Jia Jia was.

I know that I would have had a field day with this in any literature course in college. I couldn't help myself from analyzing any time colors were mentioned, or when meals were being eaten (braised pork, anyone?), or the fish man was mentioned, or someone's physical state was described. Oh, the papers I could write.

This story also added some culture to my reading, which I have been deprived of lately. Diversify your reading! Pick this one up!

This story is more contemplative and thought-provoking than action/plot based, which I personally enjoyed, but others may not. I can't wait for this to have a wider audience so I can read other interpretations. If anything, read this for my benefit please.

Highly recommended.

Happy Reading! ...more

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Jan 27, 2020 Jaclyn (sixminutesforme) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I really enjoyed this character-driven deep-dive into the theme of grief particularly. I also really connected with the strong theme of empowerment that Jia Jia embodies, her literal self-discovery as how this is developed in the narrative in connection with finding meaning behind her late-husband's death (and the mysterious note left by him). A really solid debut!

Grateful to have received a review copy of this title.

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Dec 28, 2019 Kenny Leck rated it it was amazing

I read it in one sitting, and came off feeling that this was an easy read, interesting enough, and promptly filled in the three stars rating on Goodreads. But, and a BIG BUT at that, I am so very wrong, very very wrong. I decided to write a review the morning after the read, and going through all the details, and connections again in my head, i was silently wowed by the story that An Yu has created. It reads straight-forward but hell, this is a novel like a large body of water, the ocean, where ...more

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Jan 02, 2020 Alyssia Cooke rated it really liked it

Shelves: contemporary, chinese, magical-realism

This is a weird little book and I'm not quite sure I fully understand it even now, particularly with some of the references that seem to lie in the magical realism realm of things. That said, I have to admit to really quite enjoying the novel despite this. It's a slow novel, focusing very heavily on the characters and I found myself drawn in despite myself.

The death of Jia Jia's husband is a shock to her, particularly considering the odd circumstances surrounding it; found upside down in the This is a weird little book and I'm not quite sure I fully understand it even now, particularly with some of the references that seem to lie in the magical realism realm of things. That said, I have to admit to really quite enjoying the novel despite this. It's a slow novel, focusing very heavily on the characters and I found myself drawn in despite myself.

The death of Jia Jia's husband is a shock to her, particularly considering the odd circumstances surrounding it; found upside down in the bath, the description of his body are borderline grotesque. It isn't long before we learn that the marriage between them was one build on convenience rather than of love, but that doesn't stop Jia from being left reeling in the aftermath. Was it suicide or a freak accident? We never know. All we do know is that he left a strange drawing behind, that of a figure with the body of a fish yet the head of a man. This sets Jia on a strange quest to learn more about this figure, perhaps in an attempt to understand or rationalise the meaning behind her husband's death. To my mind, this is where the heart of the story lies; a young widow trying to make peace with what has happened and find some form of understanding, only to find it slipping through her fingers like water.

This is a slow, quiet and contemplative book and for much of it, not a great deal actually happens. Somehow, this isn't as much as a negative as it could have been though as instead the pacing of the novel draws you into Jia's new loneliness and confusion. This isn't a book ringing with action, but it is a book that will make you think. In honesty, much of the symbolism of the world of water and the fish man passed me by as I was reading it and I found it somewhat aggravating that this was not really resolved to any form of satisfaction. Thinking on it, I suspect the dark and empty water world is symbolism for a form of depression perhaps? It's not made at all clear though and I am no more the wiser at the end of the book than I was at the beginning. But I did warm to the characters quickly and found myself investing in Jia as she journeyed to find her new self in this unfamiliar world.

In conclusion, this is beautifully written and balances themes of love, loss and grief along with the strange other world of water and darkness. I admit, I am just as lost now as I was to begin with and I think that further expansion and exploration of the water world would make this more accessible, but it's a fine - if a strange - little read.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my free copy of this novel as an ARC. ...more

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Jan 23, 2020 Murtaza Kuwarawala rated it liked it · review of another edition

Title : Braised Pork

Author : An Yu

Genre : Contemporary Fiction

Disclaimer : I received an eARC copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

I decided to finally expand my reading horizons this year by picking up books from different regions so as to gain more knowledge on newer topics everyday. So, when I got the opportunity to pick up Braised Pork by An Yu, I was pretty intrigued about the cultural importance of China and the knowledge it would impart and here is my take Title : Braised Pork

Author : An Yu

Genre : Contemporary Fiction

Disclaimer : I received an eARC copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

I decided to finally expand my reading horizons this year by picking up books from different regions so as to gain more knowledge on newer topics everyday. So, when I got the opportunity to pick up Braised Pork by An Yu, I was pretty intrigued about the cultural importance of China and the knowledge it would impart and here is my take on the book.

Braised Pork is the story of Jia Jia who one day suddenly finds her husband dead in the bathroom after his meal. Eventhough their marriage wasn't as happy as it used to be before, their mutual understanding of each other did not deter them from each other. It came as a shock to Jia Jia when her husband drowned himself. What was even more mysterious was the drawing of the fish man that he had been intrigued with since his visit to Tibet. The novel explores the story of Jia Jia and her journey to solve this mystery.

I was pretty much attracted to this book because of its unique blurb and title and this turned out to be one of my goto books for the year. As the readers start exploring the novel, we see that the title has much more personal meaning to the central protagonist and is not a reader could predict. We do get attached to Jia Jia from the time we turn the very first page and the author has been brilliant about how to get the readers emote with the character.

Coming to the plot of the book, this is where I apparently couldn't connect. By the time, I completed the novel, I was pretty much confused on how a lot of plot points worked and a lot of end points were not given a closure. Though one could easily love how the plot has been weaved and quite a few characters have been central to the plot, but not all of them gave us that satisfaction that the novel is complete.

A lot of reviews that I had read on it have been highly positive and I do feel that I have missed out on something that others were able to see. So, I would rather ask others to be their own judge of the book and put up their own interpretation on what the author is trying to portray. Though, I would say that it has been an amazing journey on the cultural references to China. ...more

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Dec 15, 2019 Alan rated it it was amazing

‘We explain things that we don’t understand by using other things that we don’t understand.’

When Wu Jia Jia finds her husband dead in their bathroom, bent over the bath with his head submerged (we never find out if it is suicide or an accident), her life is totally changed. Left with only the apartment they shared and a small amount of money, she frequents a local bar where she meets Leo, has a brief affair, and ultimately moves in with her aunt and grandmother to save money. All this time she ‘We explain things that we don’t understand by using other things that we don’t understand.’

When Wu Jia Jia finds her husband dead in their bathroom, bent over the bath with his head submerged (we never find out if it is suicide or an accident), her life is totally changed. Left with only the apartment they shared and a small amount of money, she frequents a local bar where she meets Leo, has a brief affair, and ultimately moves in with her aunt and grandmother to save money. All this time she is haunted by an enigmatic drawing left by her husband in the bathroom, a fish with a man’s head. She is tormented by dreams where she finds herself immersed in the ‘world of water’, and as she struggles to sketch what she sees we are drawn into a world where the surreal, the magic realist, mingles with what we assume is real.

Following in her husband’s footsteps, Jia Jia takes a trip to Tibet, and from here the story unravels in a series of remarkable inter-connections where memory and reality become blurred with this myth (or vision) of the fish-man, whose connections with Jia Jia go deeper then even she could imagine. Along the way she meets Ren Qi, who is searching for his missing wife, and Grandpa, an enigmatic old man who has some connection to the fish-man carvings in a small Tibetan village.

This wonderful book reminds me of the world of the magic realists mixed with the cinematic vision of Guillermo del Toro. As Jia Jia’s story becomes a quest to find the truth about the world of water, it also becomes a search for who we are, about family, and about finding ‘home’. The braised pork of the title refers to a small incident late in the book where Jia Jia has a meal with her estranged father, who finally reveals the truth behind the fish-man story. The simple act of eating braised pork, her favourite meal as a child, releases a wave of emotion for Jia Jia that signifies a re-connection with her past, her memories and her family.

Quietly understated, full of slightly elusive imagery and metaphors, An Yu’s novel is a complex and moving story of one woman’s search for meaning. There is sheer beauty in her use of language, finding depth in simplicity: ‘She could not remember the details, only the existence of details’. This is not a novel that shows you the answers, only the questions. It is a novel to make you think and rethink the issues of loss and grief, of family and the intangible space between our ‘normal’ world and what lies beyond. Elegant and profoundly moving, this is a stunning debut from this Chinese-American author, and clearly signals an important new voice in fiction. 5 stars, no question.
...more

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Jan 29, 2020 Andrea rated it liked it · review of another edition

I love books set in a different place/culture.

Described in part as: "...a cinematic, often dreamlike evocation of nocturnal Beijing and the high plains of Tibet, and an exploration of myth-making, loss, and a world beyond words, which ultimately sees a young woman find a new and deeper sense of herself."--I beg to differ.

Jia Jia, newly widowed [accidental drowning? suicide? other?--never resolved], is set adrift. Who is she? Who was her husband? What is the meaning behind the fish man drawing he ...more

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Feb 03, 2020 Tracy rated it really liked it

4 stars

Thanks to Grove and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Jia Jia finds her husband drowned in the bathtub. His death is odd- he leaves no note, just a drawing of a fish with a man's face.

Jia Jia sets on a quest that takes her from Beijing to Tibet, in search of the origin of this image that haunts her. Initially, she wants to understand her husband. Later, she realizes she wants to understand more about herself.

This is a dark story, and told well. It ...more

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Feb 10, 2020 Brenda rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This book is so unsual. I have never picked up this times of books with this metaphor.
The plot is interesting because Jia Jia finds her husband dead in their bathroom and she starts to realize that her easy life was not perfect and good as she thought. but now she can live a free life or can she?

Even living a perfect life Jia Jia was not happy and she realizes that she was not doing what she liked that was painting. Jia Jia is a flawed character and yet so closed off that she cannot open up. Her ...more

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Jan 10, 2020 Brianna rated it really liked it

Shelves: netgalley

3.5 rounding up
Braised Pork starts off with this mysterious death of Jai Jai's husband Chen Hang. We quickly learn that Jai Jai's marriage to Chen Hang was one of convenience and duty rather than one of love. Chen Hang leaves Jai Jai with very little to support herself, other than their apartment, a small sum of money, and the idea of a "fish-man" that Chen Hang sketched out poorly. Jai Jai becomes consumed with the idea of the "fish-man" and is certain it plays a role in Chen Hang's death.

...more

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Jan 27, 2020 J rated it it was ok

Shelves: genre-novel, star-2, writer-female, language-english, 2020, author-china

A slow contemplative novel surrounding the character of Jia Jia who deals with grief and loss after the death of her husband. The writing is simple but fairly unremarkable. An Yu writes perceptively about middle-class life in contemporary China; the various understated dynamics between Jia Jia and her family and friends are notable. Later chapters of the novel are set in Tibet which adds to the novel's quiet cinematic quality. Not entirely convinced by the book's 'magical realist' nor 'mythical' ...more

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Jan 31, 2020 Amy rated it it was ok

2.5

Braised Pork was a slow burning read about a woman grieving for her husband she found in the bathtub at their luxurious Bejing apartment.

I just didn't click with this book but managed to persevere. The writing is lovely but I just found the pacing too slow and there wasn't really a ton of plot. I wouldn't recommend if you're a fan of plot driven books (which I am) so this just didn't work for me.

Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this.

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Dec 22, 2019 Jen rated it really liked it

Shelves: in-translation, fiction, 2020-releases

Braised Pork is an unusual book, detached and contemplative in equal measures. Not all that much happens, but the storytelling is rich with metaphor and emotions the characters struggle to understand or define.

There were moments when the narrative became a little too impenetrable, but on the whole I found Jia Jia to be an interesting and empathetic navigator. I particularly enjoyed the reflective passages: there are some wonderful evocations of loneliness and finding yourself when all else is ...more

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Jan 10, 2020 HoneyAhmad rated it really liked it

Read this in one massive gulp. Just the right amount of meandering, ambiguity and questions. Mebbe I just like books like this. Good to fill the in between spaces although tbh it’s probably more of a 3.5 towards the 4 because shit can certainly be weirder while this lolls abt between some form of magical realism and apathy to life for the main character. Definitely want to see a painting of the fish-man now...

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Dec 29, 2019 Dougie rated it it was amazing

I was sent a copy of this book in return for an unbiased review.

I wasn’t sure what to expect from this book, the title is odd and a bit obscure and the description was intriguing but gave little away. I have to say though I was pleasantly surprised at every turn, from the shocking opening, the emotional twists and turns leading from that and right on through the quasi-mystical journey our protagonist goes on.

The book as a whole is very deftly written, talking plainly where necessary, alternately ...more

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Jan 15, 2020 Brooke marked it as dnf · review of another edition

dnf @ 34%
I wanted to push myself through it, but alas. New year, new me.

Braised Pork is not a bad book- it's just clear that it's not the right book for me. I felt like the pacing was completely off and it felt kind of staccato... she did this and then she did this and he was confused and she did this. This review resonated and put my thoughts into words better than I could.

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Feb 02, 2020 Sean rated it really liked it

evocative x

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Dec 13, 2019 Eleanor rated it liked it

Shelves: work-heywood-hill

Gorgeous cover, no? Despite the red flecks, it’s not especially gory; more than anything, it reminded me of Murakami, which is a comparison I generally dislike but which does occasionally seem applicable. In Braised Pork, a young woman finds her husband dead in the bath, the only clue to his demise being a scrap of paper upon which he has drawn a fish with the head of a man. His widow sets out to find the source of the strange drawing, and finds herself re-examining her own childhood in the ...more

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