Elsewhere: 'Wonderful writing' Sarah Hall

Product Information

Ge’s stories in English have been published in a variety of places, including this newspaper, The Stinging Fly, and Lucy Caldwell’s anthology Being Various. An angry, powerful book seething with love and outrage for a community too often stereotyped or ignored. While Old Stone was busy cooking in the kitchen with Calm—Young Li’s wife—and Sister Du helping out, we talked about him. Apparently, after his girlfriend died, Old Stone immersed himself in the study of how to make the perfect twice-cooked pork. From there, taking it dish by dish, he had become a chef and a reputable food critic. He’d published three books: Love and Lust in Sichuan Cuisine, The Pepper Corn Empire, and The Night We Ate Armadillos. The last one was a collection of poems. For people unfamiliar with contemporary Chinese history and culture, Yan’s prose might seem coded. Alluding to key dates and historical events that changed ordinary lives forever.

As always, I appreciate the opportunity afforded me to have an early read by netgalley.com and Scribner Books. The opinions in this review are expressly those of ButIDigressBookClub and are intended for use by my followers and friends when choosing their next book. #butidigress #butidigressbookclub #elsewhere #netgalley #scribnerbooks @scribnerbooks The cosmopolitan nature of “Elsewhere” adds richness and depth to the narratives. The stories take place in various time periods and locations, such as New York City and Chiang Mai, showcasing Yan Ge’s ability to navigate different cultural contexts. This diversity allows readers to explore a range of perspectives and experiences, immersing themselves in the intricacies of different cultures. He turned around to the table next to us and shouted, “Small Bamboo! Can you talk some sense into this girl★”Yan Ge was born Dai Yuexing in 1984 in Sichuan, China. She began publishing in 1994. She completed a PhD in comparative literature at Sichuan University and is the Chair of the China Young Writers Association. Her writing uses a lot of Sichuanese, rather than Standard Chinese (Mandarin).[1] People’s Literature (Renmin Wenxue 人民文学) magazine recently chose her – in a list reminiscent of The New Yorker's ‘20 under 40’ – as one of China's twenty future literary masters. In 2012 she was chosen as Best New Writer by the prestigious Chinese Literature Media Prize (华语文学传媒大奖 最佳新人奖). Yan Ge (Chinese: 颜歌; born 1984) is the pen name of Chinese writer Dai Yuexing (戴月行).

Elsewhere is a collection of depth and dimension. The spare, limpid prose style in many of the stories allows for moments of strong emotional impact, such as the stunning second story, Shooting an Elephant, which charts the listless, lonely months of a newly married Chinese woman, Shanshan, who is trying to put down roots in Dublin with her Irish husband. After a trauma on their honeymoon in Burma, there is a disconnect in the marriage: “They were like two comets chasing each other in circles, sometimes getting closer, yet always light years apart.” There is a palpable sense of loss and longing as Shanshan moves around the north inner city, pining for her mother, pining for home. She strikes up a friendship of sorts with a shop assistant who has a Chinese tattoo. The guy thinks it means “home” but an errant dot changes the meaning to “grave”. I wanted to like this book, but it didn't work for me. I don't know whom to recommend this book, but if it is on your list, please read it. It might be a gem for you.

Advance Praise

I’ve heard about you,” one of them, a man in his forties, said. “You’re the kid who writes fiction.” Small Bamboo had brought me to the Little House three days earlier. When he bumped into me, I was sitting on a bench outside my apartment compound, reading a book.