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The Funeral Cryer
Debut novelist Wenyan Lu brings us this witty yet profound story about one woman’s mid-life reawakening in contemporary rural China, for fans of Yiyun Li and Julie Otsuka.
The Funeral Cryer long ago accepted the mundane realities of her life: avoided by fellow villagers because of the stigma attached to her job and under-appreciated by her husband, whose fecklessness has pushed the couple close to the brink of break-up. But just when things couldn't be bleaker, she takes a leap of faith—and in so doing things start to take a surprising turn for the better.
Dark, moving and wry, The Funeral Cryer is both an illuminating depiction of a “left behind” society—and proof that it's never too late to change your life.
The Funeral Cryer long ago accepted the mundane realities of her life: avoided by fellow villagers because of the stigma attached to her job and under-appreciated by her husband, whose fecklessness has pushed the couple close to the brink of break-up. But just when things couldn't be bleaker, she takes a leap of faith—and in so doing things start to take a surprising turn for the better.
Dark, moving and wry, The Funeral Cryer is both an illuminating depiction of a “left behind” society—and proof that it's never too late to change your life.
336 pages, Hardcover
Published April 30, 2024
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7532 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 188 reviews
May 3, 2024
3.5⭐
Set in contemporary China, The Funeral Cryer by Wenyan Lu is a thought-provoking novel. Our protagonist is a middle-aged woman who makes a living as a professional mourner – a profession she has been engaged in for ten years. With her husband unemployed, hers is their only income. Though enjoys the financial security her profession affords her, most of the villagers tend to avoid her as they believe that she brings bad luck and “smells of the dead”- a sentiment echoed by her husband who eagerly pockets her earnings, spending a substantial portion of same playing mahjong. He is disrespectful of his wife and emotionally abusive and it is hinted that he might be having an affair. Their grown daughter lives in Shanghai and from what we gather, she keeps her distance. The only person who shows the Funeral Cryer any kindness is the barber of their village.
Narrated in the first person by our protagonist, the tone of this novel is quiet and a tad detached for the most part. The writing is sparse yet evocative and the narrative is slow moving. Though this is not the first I heard of the tradition of hiring professional mourners (the “Rudaali” tradition in Rajasthan, India is one of the many variants of the same). I found the author’s detailed description of the role they play fascinating. There are several characters in and around our protagonist’s orbit, but the bulk of the novel revolves around her observations and reflections on her marriage, her relationships with other members of her family, life and death. We follow our protagonist as she goes about her daily life, attends her professional responsibilities with diligence, and her thoughts often drifting to past events. In her present life, the events we may perceive as significant, our protagonist takes in her stride. She tends to absorb much without visible reaction (though we are privy to her thoughts) and only toward the end of the novel do we notice a significant development in the way she perceives her life. I should mention that none of the characters are referred to by name ( including our unnamed protagonist). Though this aspect of the novel took a while to get used to, I thought it was congruous with the protagonist’s personality. Her observations are honest, heartfelt and laced with dry humor. The setting is vivid and I enjoyed getting to learn about the culture, customs and traditions described in this novel. The author has done a remarkable job of depicting the social dynamics and inequality within the community.
While there is a lot to like about this novel, I did feel that the narrative suffered from minor repetition and thought that the nature of the narrative is such that it should have been shorter to be more impactful. Though this is a character-driven novel, I thought the scope for character development was limited in that we were not allowed to explore certain crucial aspects of our protagonist's life deeper such as the dynamic between her and her daughter since it is evident that theirs is a complicated relationship. The ending is a tad ambiguous, but this does not detract from the overall reading experience.
Overall, I did find this to be an immersive and insightful read and look forward to reading more from the author in the future.
Many thanks to Harlequin Trade Publishing for the digital review copy via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.
Connect with me! ✏ Instagram ✏ My Blog ✏ The StoryGraph
Set in contemporary China, The Funeral Cryer by Wenyan Lu is a thought-provoking novel. Our protagonist is a middle-aged woman who makes a living as a professional mourner – a profession she has been engaged in for ten years. With her husband unemployed, hers is their only income. Though enjoys the financial security her profession affords her, most of the villagers tend to avoid her as they believe that she brings bad luck and “smells of the dead”- a sentiment echoed by her husband who eagerly pockets her earnings, spending a substantial portion of same playing mahjong. He is disrespectful of his wife and emotionally abusive and it is hinted that he might be having an affair. Their grown daughter lives in Shanghai and from what we gather, she keeps her distance. The only person who shows the Funeral Cryer any kindness is the barber of their village.
Narrated in the first person by our protagonist, the tone of this novel is quiet and a tad detached for the most part. The writing is sparse yet evocative and the narrative is slow moving. Though this is not the first I heard of the tradition of hiring professional mourners (the “Rudaali” tradition in Rajasthan, India is one of the many variants of the same). I found the author’s detailed description of the role they play fascinating. There are several characters in and around our protagonist’s orbit, but the bulk of the novel revolves around her observations and reflections on her marriage, her relationships with other members of her family, life and death. We follow our protagonist as she goes about her daily life, attends her professional responsibilities with diligence, and her thoughts often drifting to past events. In her present life, the events we may perceive as significant, our protagonist takes in her stride. She tends to absorb much without visible reaction (though we are privy to her thoughts) and only toward the end of the novel do we notice a significant development in the way she perceives her life. I should mention that none of the characters are referred to by name ( including our unnamed protagonist). Though this aspect of the novel took a while to get used to, I thought it was congruous with the protagonist’s personality. Her observations are honest, heartfelt and laced with dry humor. The setting is vivid and I enjoyed getting to learn about the culture, customs and traditions described in this novel. The author has done a remarkable job of depicting the social dynamics and inequality within the community.
While there is a lot to like about this novel, I did feel that the narrative suffered from minor repetition and thought that the nature of the narrative is such that it should have been shorter to be more impactful. Though this is a character-driven novel, I thought the scope for character development was limited in that we were not allowed to explore certain crucial aspects of our protagonist's life deeper such as the dynamic between her and her daughter since it is evident that theirs is a complicated relationship. The ending is a tad ambiguous, but this does not detract from the overall reading experience.
Overall, I did find this to be an immersive and insightful read and look forward to reading more from the author in the future.
Many thanks to Harlequin Trade Publishing for the digital review copy via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.
Connect with me! ✏ Instagram ✏ My Blog ✏ The StoryGraph
April 20, 2024
I really enjoyed this book. This was a beautiful, thought provoking book, it was also incredibly humorous. It gave me an insight into Chinese culture but also I could relate to the narrative as The Funeral Cryer was middle aged and had many responsibilities. I didn't stop until I finished this wonderful intriguing book. Highly recommend it.
May 19, 2024
Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for access to this title. All opinions expressed are my own.
I struggled with this debut novel.
Set in contemporary rural China, we have an unnamed protagonist with an unusual occupation- a person paid to cry at funerals. I liked that part as I do believe that funerals are not as much about remembering the person who has passed but being there for their family members. Our character who is in the middle of her life- has a lazy husband, who might be having an affair and a grown daughter who lives in Shanghai. Many of the protagonist's worries are relatable - aging parents, marital ups and downs, and expectations of grown children. Not to mention the ideas surrounding death and dying.
I was not expecting a plot that would be fast-moving or action-driven. After all, such subjects do not warrant rapid-fire storytelling. I just think that if the character isn't overly concerned that her husband is having an affair- I shouldn't get too bent out of shape about it either. The major turn of events at the end of the story gripped me but then the ending appeared to fizzle. It has left me wondering what the author desires the biggest "take-away" of the novel to be.
The writing was beautiful, I am just not sure that I would recommend this book.
#TheFuneralCryer #NetGalley.
Expected Publication Date 30/04/24
Goodreads Review 10/04/24
I struggled with this debut novel.
Set in contemporary rural China, we have an unnamed protagonist with an unusual occupation- a person paid to cry at funerals. I liked that part as I do believe that funerals are not as much about remembering the person who has passed but being there for their family members. Our character who is in the middle of her life- has a lazy husband, who might be having an affair and a grown daughter who lives in Shanghai. Many of the protagonist's worries are relatable - aging parents, marital ups and downs, and expectations of grown children. Not to mention the ideas surrounding death and dying.
I was not expecting a plot that would be fast-moving or action-driven. After all, such subjects do not warrant rapid-fire storytelling. I just think that if the character isn't overly concerned that her husband is having an affair- I shouldn't get too bent out of shape about it either. The major turn of events at the end of the story gripped me but then the ending appeared to fizzle. It has left me wondering what the author desires the biggest "take-away" of the novel to be.
The writing was beautiful, I am just not sure that I would recommend this book.
#TheFuneralCryer #NetGalley.
Expected Publication Date 30/04/24
Goodreads Review 10/04/24
May 4, 2023
The eponymous narrator of The Funeral Cryer muses on the way names constrain and mislead. They are used as signifiers of family and marital status, but her corner of the world is littered with villages named for rivers and mountains that don’t exist. Her daughter, struggling to make a life in Shanghai, adopts an English name at work. Instead, she identifies people either by their relationship to her, (“the husband”, “the daughter”) by their occupation (“the barber”) or by some other nickname (“Hotpot”).
The role of a funeral cryer is to move the mourners at a funeral to grief through speech and by crying herself, before offering up joyful singing as they make for the refreshments. The narrator, a woman in her fifties living in the village she grew up in, has drifted into this role, having tried to make a life in a city and then married a wastrel husband.
Being a funeral cryer is stigmatising and she is shunned by traditionalists in her village. But it also has its rewards – it is relatively well paid and the bereaved often confide in her.
She is at a crossroads, her marriage and her work are less than she dreamed of, and her daughter wants her to take responsibility for her (as yet unborn) grandchild and raise it in the village. She also has elderly parents.
Her one luxury is having her hair done by the local barber (most people she knows cut their own). He is an incomer to the village and, when she begins to suspect her husband of being too interested in the Hotpot (to British ears an unlikely nickname for a sex siren), it is her conversations with the barber that offer consolation.
At first I thought The Funeral Cryer was going to follow the depressingly familiar path of the abusive marriage – her husband seemed almost a caricature. However, the story of this marriage turns out to be more complicated – and more entertaining – than it first appears.
The Funeral Cryer is a fascinating read. The narrator appears to tell you everything, all the details of daily life in the village (I particularly enjoyed hearing what she cooked) but she remains somehow mysterious. She is detached, if not alienated from the people around her. (Interestingly it is her daughter who she seems to resent the most.)
She could be viewed as cold, or lonely and isolated, depending on your perspective. But there is a vein of dry humour running through her observations and even her battles with her husband.
The metaphor of the funeral cryer is a brilliant one. She helps people manifest grief when they are either repressed from showing it – or aren’t really feeling it at all. Often the bereaved themselves aren’t sure which is the case.
The end is odd and surprising. I’m still thinking about it now, not sure what to make of it – but that, to me, is a strength.
*
I received a copy of The Funeral Cryer from the publisher via NetGalley.
The role of a funeral cryer is to move the mourners at a funeral to grief through speech and by crying herself, before offering up joyful singing as they make for the refreshments. The narrator, a woman in her fifties living in the village she grew up in, has drifted into this role, having tried to make a life in a city and then married a wastrel husband.
Being a funeral cryer is stigmatising and she is shunned by traditionalists in her village. But it also has its rewards – it is relatively well paid and the bereaved often confide in her.
She is at a crossroads, her marriage and her work are less than she dreamed of, and her daughter wants her to take responsibility for her (as yet unborn) grandchild and raise it in the village. She also has elderly parents.
Her one luxury is having her hair done by the local barber (most people she knows cut their own). He is an incomer to the village and, when she begins to suspect her husband of being too interested in the Hotpot (to British ears an unlikely nickname for a sex siren), it is her conversations with the barber that offer consolation.
At first I thought The Funeral Cryer was going to follow the depressingly familiar path of the abusive marriage – her husband seemed almost a caricature. However, the story of this marriage turns out to be more complicated – and more entertaining – than it first appears.
The Funeral Cryer is a fascinating read. The narrator appears to tell you everything, all the details of daily life in the village (I particularly enjoyed hearing what she cooked) but she remains somehow mysterious. She is detached, if not alienated from the people around her. (Interestingly it is her daughter who she seems to resent the most.)
She could be viewed as cold, or lonely and isolated, depending on your perspective. But there is a vein of dry humour running through her observations and even her battles with her husband.
The metaphor of the funeral cryer is a brilliant one. She helps people manifest grief when they are either repressed from showing it – or aren’t really feeling it at all. Often the bereaved themselves aren’t sure which is the case.
The end is odd and surprising. I’m still thinking about it now, not sure what to make of it – but that, to me, is a strength.
*
I received a copy of The Funeral Cryer from the publisher via NetGalley.
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November 12, 2024The title character holds a traditional position in her Chinese village, performing mourning at ceremonies for the dead. It’s a steady source of income for her and her husband, but her career choice has stigma attached: “Now that I brought bad luck and I smelt of the dead, nobody would step into our house to play mah-jong or chat.” Exotic as the setup might seem at first, it underpins a familiar story of a woman caught in frustrating relationships and situations.
April 8, 2023
I really loved this book, it was relatively short and not a lot happened, but it really packed a punch! Although the unnamed funeral cryer lived in rural China her thoughts and, often amusing, feelings about life, death, love, family and women's role in society were profoundly universal and beautifully expressed.
Thank you to netgalley and Atlantic Books for an advance copy of this book
Thank you to netgalley and Atlantic Books for an advance copy of this book
August 10, 2023
This was odd, not a lot happens but it was an easy read in that it flows well, but not easy in that it was pretty sad.
It’s the story of a funeral cryer (surprise surprise). A lonely woman, shunned by many because of the superstitions related to her job as a funeral cryer where she comes into contact with death regularly. Her work is like a cloud constantly hanging over her.
I felt pity for the woman (we never learn her name), she appears downtrodden and resigned to a life of emptiness. But by the end of the book I felt pity for pretty much every character, no one has a great life, many are touched by the death of loved ones and many are lonely. We learn a lot about the customs and culture in rural china, it is a tough life, not much in the way of luxuries or even happiness it seems and there were some odd traditions, it was a very dated culture, particularly regarding women. It was quite an eye opener in fact.
What really surprised me was how naive our protagonist was, not just her, her husband too. It was like watching two children bumbling along in life wondering what was going on but too afraid to ask for help. I wanted them to have a better life. It was a crying shame they both seemed lost and alone. I wanted to pick the woman up and shake her by the lapels to act, to do something!
Our protagonist does however ask some difficult questions about life along the way, she was quite insightful at times but we don't get any answers. We do however get a lot of emotions.
Overall this was an engaging read, it really hooked me in but it was not a happy read, it was also a little repetitive which was frustrating, at times. The ending left more questions than answers, there is no tying up with a bow here but it made me think and I quite like that.
Really hard to rate this one but I’m going with 3.5 and will round up purely as it kept me thinking long after I put it down.
It’s the story of a funeral cryer (surprise surprise). A lonely woman, shunned by many because of the superstitions related to her job as a funeral cryer where she comes into contact with death regularly. Her work is like a cloud constantly hanging over her.
I felt pity for the woman (we never learn her name), she appears downtrodden and resigned to a life of emptiness. But by the end of the book I felt pity for pretty much every character, no one has a great life, many are touched by the death of loved ones and many are lonely. We learn a lot about the customs and culture in rural china, it is a tough life, not much in the way of luxuries or even happiness it seems and there were some odd traditions, it was a very dated culture, particularly regarding women. It was quite an eye opener in fact.
What really surprised me was how naive our protagonist was, not just her, her husband too. It was like watching two children bumbling along in life wondering what was going on but too afraid to ask for help. I wanted them to have a better life. It was a crying shame they both seemed lost and alone. I wanted to pick the woman up and shake her by the lapels to act, to do something!
Our protagonist does however ask some difficult questions about life along the way, she was quite insightful at times but we don't get any answers. We do however get a lot of emotions.
Overall this was an engaging read, it really hooked me in but it was not a happy read, it was also a little repetitive which was frustrating, at times. The ending left more questions than answers, there is no tying up with a bow here but it made me think and I quite like that.
Really hard to rate this one but I’m going with 3.5 and will round up purely as it kept me thinking long after I put it down.
May 5, 2023
It’s easy to read and the writing is beautiful in places however I couldn’t help but feel the narrator was overly detached from her life. The way she called her husband husband and her daughter daughter made me feel that emotionally she wasn’t present in her own life.
The sense of obligation and duty to her life was overwhelming and i felt very sad for our narrator and her lack of self worth.
I feel it will be very hard for those like me in a western and more liberal world to fully be able to connect to our narrator but it offers a really insightful slice of life in a different place and time.
Although the plot wasn’t the strongest I’ve read and not ‘action packed’ it certainly packed a lot in terms of emotions and was full of heart!
The sense of obligation and duty to her life was overwhelming and i felt very sad for our narrator and her lack of self worth.
I feel it will be very hard for those like me in a western and more liberal world to fully be able to connect to our narrator but it offers a really insightful slice of life in a different place and time.
Although the plot wasn’t the strongest I’ve read and not ‘action packed’ it certainly packed a lot in terms of emotions and was full of heart!
August 13, 2023
DNF at like 15% I’m sorry this was boring
July 29, 2024
I think the overall GR rating of 3.50 on this book is correct. This debut novelist brings us a story of a chinese woman having a mid life crisis, her career as a “Funeral Crier” brings some intrigue into the very flat story otherwise, lots of loose ends so perhaps a sequel? Was this really a chinese custom? I was left to search about that on my own.
May 25, 2025
A strange, quiet, contemplative, and often sad book with a surprising ending. Not a book for many readers, but a good fit for someone like me, who likes strange, quiet, contemplative, sometimes sad things.
September 29, 2024
Really, a 3.75!
May 11, 2024
A lyrical and moving debut novel that I really enjoyed on audio. This story follows a young plain Chinese woman who is resigned to living a quiet, uneventful life as a wife and mother working as a funeral cryer - someone who sings at funerals. I found the character really interesting and her "profession" one I hadn't heard about before. The story was a bit slow moving though and not a whole lot happens until she's older and finally takes her life into her own hands carving out some independence and finding love outside her marriage. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review. This one is perfect for fans of authors like Lisa See.
CW: infidelity, miscarriage
CW: infidelity, miscarriage
May 15, 2023
"I almost live in isolation, with very little movement. Sometimes I was even suspicious of myself. Was I really carrying something contagious or lethal in my body? Maybe I was. I did breathe in a deadly atmosphere regularly at funerals."
The Funeral Cryer isn’t an easy book to review. A truly unique story, this touching exploration of identity, mourning and social isolation follows the mid-life awakening of one woman in contemporary rural China.
Living in a loveless, unhappy marriage, the funeral cryer is resigned to her mundane life in the small village where she was born and raised. A good husband is one who doesn’t hit you, which hers doesn’t, but he also never speaks a kind word and they are just two people who sleep in the same bed each night rather than partners or friends. It is a lonely and bleak existence, something that is magnified by the superstition surrounding her profession that makes her an outcast. We never learn the funeral cryer’s name. In fact, she isn’t even sure the others in her village even remember it as they now only refer to her as that woman who cries at funerals. This namelessness adds to the sense of a lack of identity and belonging surrounding her, and makes her feel all the more distant and disconnected from both the reader and the world. It is a life filled with sadness, guilt and isolation, emotions that permeate the pages along with an atmosphere of melancholy, monotony and acceptance as she evaluates and looks back on her life, wondering how things might be now had she taken different paths and contemplating an array of questions she has no one to answer.
From the start this story avoids feeling overshadowed by any of its sombre or negative emotions thanks to Wenyan Lu’s exquisite and at times almost poetic prose. It is also helped by the narration continuously and seamlessly moving between a tale of heartrending tragedy and dark comedy as the funeral cryer finally makes choices for her own happiness and begins her reawakening. I was rooting for her to seize something for herself and rejoiced as she discovered parts of life, and herself, that had lain dormant for so long.
Profoundly moving, wistful and thought-provoking, The Funeral Cryer is a curiously beautiful story that will linger long after reading.
The Funeral Cryer isn’t an easy book to review. A truly unique story, this touching exploration of identity, mourning and social isolation follows the mid-life awakening of one woman in contemporary rural China.
Living in a loveless, unhappy marriage, the funeral cryer is resigned to her mundane life in the small village where she was born and raised. A good husband is one who doesn’t hit you, which hers doesn’t, but he also never speaks a kind word and they are just two people who sleep in the same bed each night rather than partners or friends. It is a lonely and bleak existence, something that is magnified by the superstition surrounding her profession that makes her an outcast. We never learn the funeral cryer’s name. In fact, she isn’t even sure the others in her village even remember it as they now only refer to her as that woman who cries at funerals. This namelessness adds to the sense of a lack of identity and belonging surrounding her, and makes her feel all the more distant and disconnected from both the reader and the world. It is a life filled with sadness, guilt and isolation, emotions that permeate the pages along with an atmosphere of melancholy, monotony and acceptance as she evaluates and looks back on her life, wondering how things might be now had she taken different paths and contemplating an array of questions she has no one to answer.
From the start this story avoids feeling overshadowed by any of its sombre or negative emotions thanks to Wenyan Lu’s exquisite and at times almost poetic prose. It is also helped by the narration continuously and seamlessly moving between a tale of heartrending tragedy and dark comedy as the funeral cryer finally makes choices for her own happiness and begins her reawakening. I was rooting for her to seize something for herself and rejoiced as she discovered parts of life, and herself, that had lain dormant for so long.
Profoundly moving, wistful and thought-provoking, The Funeral Cryer is a curiously beautiful story that will linger long after reading.
January 31, 2024
With stilted, almost awkward writing, a thin plot, and one-dimensional characters, this dark and sorrowful book by Wenyan Lu is a disappointment because it has the potential to be so much more.
Taking place in modern-day China but in a remote, rural village that hangs on to the old customs, this is the story of a middle-aged woman who is never named. None of the characters is named except for a few who are given nicknames. The woman is married to a man she refers to as "the husband," and they have one grown daughter, who lives in Shanghai. It is a loveless marriage, bordering on abusive. The husband is unemployed. She works as a funeral cryer. It is her job to lead the mourners in crying. Meanwhile, she suspects her husband, who spends his time playing mahjong, of having an affair with a woman named Hotpot, while she herself is making eyes at the local barber. Because of her job as a funeral cryer, she is thought to bring bad luck and to smell of the dead. She experiences discrimination from others' superstitions about death—so much so that she is refused admittance to her father's nursing home and is ostracized by those in the village.
The underlying theme of the book is death and dying—our fears, anxieties, and trepidations. Being surrounded by death weighs on the woman, and eventually she decides to live a better life. Even though the novel was leading up to this all along, her change of heart is quite sudden, so it feels forced and implausible.
The writing style is characterized by short, jarring sentences and abrupt paragraph changes, while the dialogue is stilted and boring and often doesn't serve to move the story forward, focusing on the mundane aspects of life.
Thanks to NetGalley for a free advance review copy (ARC) of the book in exchange for an honest review.
Taking place in modern-day China but in a remote, rural village that hangs on to the old customs, this is the story of a middle-aged woman who is never named. None of the characters is named except for a few who are given nicknames. The woman is married to a man she refers to as "the husband," and they have one grown daughter, who lives in Shanghai. It is a loveless marriage, bordering on abusive. The husband is unemployed. She works as a funeral cryer. It is her job to lead the mourners in crying. Meanwhile, she suspects her husband, who spends his time playing mahjong, of having an affair with a woman named Hotpot, while she herself is making eyes at the local barber. Because of her job as a funeral cryer, she is thought to bring bad luck and to smell of the dead. She experiences discrimination from others' superstitions about death—so much so that she is refused admittance to her father's nursing home and is ostracized by those in the village.
The underlying theme of the book is death and dying—our fears, anxieties, and trepidations. Being surrounded by death weighs on the woman, and eventually she decides to live a better life. Even though the novel was leading up to this all along, her change of heart is quite sudden, so it feels forced and implausible.
The writing style is characterized by short, jarring sentences and abrupt paragraph changes, while the dialogue is stilted and boring and often doesn't serve to move the story forward, focusing on the mundane aspects of life.
Thanks to NetGalley for a free advance review copy (ARC) of the book in exchange for an honest review.
July 4, 2024
This odd novel should have been right in my wheelhouse, but it really fell short. It was just….meh. I didn’t expect action-y adventure or anything, but everything was just so lackluster and bland in this novel. I didn’t like the MC, and her hubby was a thieving, gross bastard. Just when things started getting the slightest bit interesting, the author kills someone off for no apparent reason, and the novel pretty much ends… and it didn’t make sense. (And don’t tell me ‘life doesn’t make sense’. Believe me, I KNOW).
It was fascinating (at first) to find out about funeral cryers, and the dichotomy between these tiny little villages and the Big Cities like Shanghai, etc. But I found myself really liking only one character, the Funeral Cryer’s mother. And I seriously wanted her to kick the Husband’s lazy behind.
Also the author repeated herself a LOT, and all throughout the novel. It was very annoying.
Anyway, I made it through to the ending of this novel. Hopefully the author’s next novel is better. Maybe I will read it, idk.
Helen Crevel is the Narrator for the audiobook version of the novel, and she has this beautiful English accent, so that was super cool. This is her only audiobook at my library. Thank you Harlequin Audio for the making of this work.
3 stars
It was fascinating (at first) to find out about funeral cryers, and the dichotomy between these tiny little villages and the Big Cities like Shanghai, etc. But I found myself really liking only one character, the Funeral Cryer’s mother. And I seriously wanted her to kick the Husband’s lazy behind.
Also the author repeated herself a LOT, and all throughout the novel. It was very annoying.
Anyway, I made it through to the ending of this novel. Hopefully the author’s next novel is better. Maybe I will read it, idk.
Helen Crevel is the Narrator for the audiobook version of the novel, and she has this beautiful English accent, so that was super cool. This is her only audiobook at my library. Thank you Harlequin Audio for the making of this work.
3 stars
December 14, 2024
Such a lovely, tender story. I don't understand why people hate it so much. Funeral crying is a thing in so many cultures. It was nice to take a peek in one such life. Loved it.
September 19, 2024
1.5/5
Despite its compelling subject matter (of Chinese funeral cryers, an odd but persisting ancient custom), this book suffers from a lack of a point of view. Deeply entrenched in traditional Chinese social norms (of patriarchy, gender roles, sexual purity, etc), The Funeral Cryer never attempts to comment on or critique these structures. Instead, the main character bows to them whole-heartedly, leaving the book in sore need of any sort of complexity or novelty. The writing is stilted, and not at all helped by the author’s choice to translate Chinese kinship terms (people are often referred to by their professional or familial roles) and nicknames literally into “the husband,” “the daughter,” “Hot Pot,” etc.
It was only in the last few chapters of the book that any sort of interesting conflict occurs, .
Despite its compelling subject matter (of Chinese funeral cryers, an odd but persisting ancient custom), this book suffers from a lack of a point of view. Deeply entrenched in traditional Chinese social norms (of patriarchy, gender roles, sexual purity, etc), The Funeral Cryer never attempts to comment on or critique these structures. Instead, the main character bows to them whole-heartedly, leaving the book in sore need of any sort of complexity or novelty. The writing is stilted, and not at all helped by the author’s choice to translate Chinese kinship terms (people are often referred to by their professional or familial roles) and nicknames literally into “the husband,” “the daughter,” “Hot Pot,” etc.
It was only in the last few chapters of the book that any sort of interesting conflict occurs, .
April 1, 2025
dnf nel cuore, ma terminato perché volevo capire dove andasse a parare.
iniziato perché il titolo e la trama sembravano interessanti, e infatti interessanti son rimasti solo quelli.
dall'inizio alla fine la storia non si muove minimamente, tutto resta uguale dall'inizio alla fine.
credo che l'autrice volesse rendere un quadro culturale della cina rurale, denunciandone nello specifico gli aspetti patriarcali, e diciamo che questi punti emergono superficiali, non vengono né approfonditi, né sviluppati.
per quanto riguarda i funerali (che era la cosa che mi interessava), alla fine riesce a rendere noiosi anche quelli.
la scrittura è piatta e noiosa, ripete continuamente le stesse spiegazioni come se fossimo stupidi. non sono riuscita ad empatizzare con la donna, la quale effettivamente raggiunge un certo livello di consapevolezza della propria situazione, ma alla fine non fa niente e resta con quel suo marito inutile, e continua a farsi trattare male e a mantenerlo.
il finale grandissimo bho.
iniziato perché il titolo e la trama sembravano interessanti, e infatti interessanti son rimasti solo quelli.
dall'inizio alla fine la storia non si muove minimamente, tutto resta uguale dall'inizio alla fine.
credo che l'autrice volesse rendere un quadro culturale della cina rurale, denunciandone nello specifico gli aspetti patriarcali, e diciamo che questi punti emergono superficiali, non vengono né approfonditi, né sviluppati.
per quanto riguarda i funerali (che era la cosa che mi interessava), alla fine riesce a rendere noiosi anche quelli.
la scrittura è piatta e noiosa, ripete continuamente le stesse spiegazioni come se fossimo stupidi. non sono riuscita ad empatizzare con la donna, la quale effettivamente raggiunge un certo livello di consapevolezza della propria situazione, ma alla fine non fa niente e resta con quel suo marito inutile, e continua a farsi trattare male e a mantenerlo.
il finale grandissimo bho.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 21, 2024
3.5 rounded to 4
This is a contemporary novel set in rural China following a middle age woman who’s unhappy with her life. The book mostly follows her thoughts on life which was interesting, and it was great to see her slowly change her life to be happier. It was very realistic in that her life didn’t get significantly better, and ended off the way knowing about a person you no longer speak to does; mid way and hoping for the best for them.
This is a contemporary novel set in rural China following a middle age woman who’s unhappy with her life. The book mostly follows her thoughts on life which was interesting, and it was great to see her slowly change her life to be happier. It was very realistic in that her life didn’t get significantly better, and ended off the way knowing about a person you no longer speak to does; mid way and hoping for the best for them.
January 29, 2024
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC.
The Funeral Crier by Wenyan Lu is a debut novel that explores the life of a professional mourner in rural China. The unnamed narrator, who leads the lamentations at funerals, is shunned by her fellow villagers and neglected by her husband. She faces a bleak and lonely existence, until she decides to take a chance and change her fate.
The novel is a poignant and humorous portrait of a woman who defies the social norms and expectations of her society. Lu skillfully depicts the contrast between the traditional and the modern, the rural and the urban, and the rich and the poor in contemporary China. The Funeral Crier is a subtle and moving story of grief, love, and redemption, with a memorable and witty protagonist. Lu's writing is elegant, wry, and insightful, and she offers a fascinating glimpse into a culture and a profession that are rarely portrayed in literature.
The Funeral Crier is a novel that will appeal to fans of literary fiction, especially those who enjoy stories of ordinary people facing extraordinary challenges. It is a novel that celebrates the power of human resilience and the possibility of transformation. I highly recommend this novel to anyone who is looking for a refreshing and original read.
The Funeral Crier by Wenyan Lu is a debut novel that explores the life of a professional mourner in rural China. The unnamed narrator, who leads the lamentations at funerals, is shunned by her fellow villagers and neglected by her husband. She faces a bleak and lonely existence, until she decides to take a chance and change her fate.
The novel is a poignant and humorous portrait of a woman who defies the social norms and expectations of her society. Lu skillfully depicts the contrast between the traditional and the modern, the rural and the urban, and the rich and the poor in contemporary China. The Funeral Crier is a subtle and moving story of grief, love, and redemption, with a memorable and witty protagonist. Lu's writing is elegant, wry, and insightful, and she offers a fascinating glimpse into a culture and a profession that are rarely portrayed in literature.
The Funeral Crier is a novel that will appeal to fans of literary fiction, especially those who enjoy stories of ordinary people facing extraordinary challenges. It is a novel that celebrates the power of human resilience and the possibility of transformation. I highly recommend this novel to anyone who is looking for a refreshing and original read.
March 12, 2023
The only way I can describe this book is it’s carried on vibes rather than plot or structure.
We follow an unnamed woman who is a funeral cryer, a tradition in China to see off the dead. The more wealthy you are or the longer the life, the more important it is to highlight this via a funeral cryer who tells the mourners about the deceased’s life through song.
We follow the narrator through her daily life in the country side with a husband who relies on her income from funeral crying, an estranged daughter who lives in Shanghai and the local Barber who seems to be the only one who interacts with The Funeral Cryer without malice.
The narrator finds because of her job that not many people want to interact with her because they think she brings them bad luck and with a lazy husband who doesn’t want to work, she feels she has no choice but to continue this line of work.
The pace is glacially slow and there’s no real plot or character development until the end, and even the ending just left me confused as to what happens next.
Overall, not the book for me but if you liked Before The Coffee Gets Cold this might be the book for you.
Thank you to Atlantic Books for the advanced Review copy.
We follow an unnamed woman who is a funeral cryer, a tradition in China to see off the dead. The more wealthy you are or the longer the life, the more important it is to highlight this via a funeral cryer who tells the mourners about the deceased’s life through song.
We follow the narrator through her daily life in the country side with a husband who relies on her income from funeral crying, an estranged daughter who lives in Shanghai and the local Barber who seems to be the only one who interacts with The Funeral Cryer without malice.
The narrator finds because of her job that not many people want to interact with her because they think she brings them bad luck and with a lazy husband who doesn’t want to work, she feels she has no choice but to continue this line of work.
The pace is glacially slow and there’s no real plot or character development until the end, and even the ending just left me confused as to what happens next.
Overall, not the book for me but if you liked Before The Coffee Gets Cold this might be the book for you.
Thank you to Atlantic Books for the advanced Review copy.
February 2, 2023
⭐️ the funeral cryer by wenyan lu ⭐️
“Who would care about a woman with no name? A woman with no name hardly existed.” Me! I care! The funeral cryer’s life may not be interesting to anyone in her life but wow did I get hooked quickly! I loved the confessions from the deceased’s family and how only they spoke to her and not anyone in her village (because of superstition). The slice of her life you see in this book is so intriguing and even though it was quite slow paced in the first two thirds it picks up quickly towards the end! I felt so heart broken for her. I also really enjoyed the cultural aspects of the book, and the wee look into rural life in north western China.
🔆 lines i liked 🔆
“After all, it’s white, the colour of death.”
“Names were only important when people were born, when they got married and when they died.”
Interesting things:
- village committees
- Left behind children
- When you go to uni a rural residence will automatically convert to a city residence!
Thank you @atlanticbooks and #NetGalley for this proof copy. As the copy is a proof the quotes are subject to change!
“Who would care about a woman with no name? A woman with no name hardly existed.” Me! I care! The funeral cryer’s life may not be interesting to anyone in her life but wow did I get hooked quickly! I loved the confessions from the deceased’s family and how only they spoke to her and not anyone in her village (because of superstition). The slice of her life you see in this book is so intriguing and even though it was quite slow paced in the first two thirds it picks up quickly towards the end! I felt so heart broken for her. I also really enjoyed the cultural aspects of the book, and the wee look into rural life in north western China.
🔆 lines i liked 🔆
“After all, it’s white, the colour of death.”
“Names were only important when people were born, when they got married and when they died.”
Interesting things:
- village committees
- Left behind children
- When you go to uni a rural residence will automatically convert to a city residence!
Thank you @atlanticbooks and #NetGalley for this proof copy. As the copy is a proof the quotes are subject to change!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 26, 2024
Man, this was tedious.
The whole thing was a stream of conscious from a woman who spends waaaay too much time in her head. She was obsessed with sex, men, her age, and her looks. It wasn’t just her either, every character in this book sucked: they were so nasty to each other, glorified the abuse they received, and all the women were reduced to their bodies.
I didn’t get on with the writing style either. It was so simplistic, stilted, cold, and detached. I couldn’t bring myself to care on iota for the MC and the author didn’t do anything to make her sympathetic or compelling.
I grew so tired about hearing the MC complain about her breasts and her idiotic husband while she yearned after a complete non-entity male simply because he was the only person to give her a shred of attention. I kinda thought we were past books like this in 2024.
The whole thing was a stream of conscious from a woman who spends waaaay too much time in her head. She was obsessed with sex, men, her age, and her looks. It wasn’t just her either, every character in this book sucked: they were so nasty to each other, glorified the abuse they received, and all the women were reduced to their bodies.
I didn’t get on with the writing style either. It was so simplistic, stilted, cold, and detached. I couldn’t bring myself to care on iota for the MC and the author didn’t do anything to make her sympathetic or compelling.
I grew so tired about hearing the MC complain about her breasts and her idiotic husband while she yearned after a complete non-entity male simply because he was the only person to give her a shred of attention. I kinda thought we were past books like this in 2024.
February 22, 2025
I enjoyed the last quarter of the book a lot, but felt the writing was too stilted the whole novel, especially the way the narrator refers to her family as "the husband, the daughter, the brother." It didn't convey much and only distracted me. There seemed to be a lot wanting to be said between the lines, but needed more developing.
March 7, 2025
È stato la versione cinese di un harmony fino al 95% ed è finito nel momento esatto in cui è diventato interessante
May 17, 2024
Set in an obscure village in NW China, the Funeral Cryer tells the story of a woman--the Funeral Cryer. She's a woman stuck between a lazy husband and a job which marks her as a social outcast. She's a woman caught between generations--her mother, of the old traditions, and her daughter of the new.
Because she spends so much time alone, she does a lot of musing and reflecting on life, questioning things. What is marriage? What is love? How do you know you married the right man? Are there things I should know, but no one ever told me? Was my mother wrong about some things? Why do these things matter?
It's a story about a woman who has always kept in line, realizing no one else has...and maybe she doesn't have to, either.
Because she spends so much time alone, she does a lot of musing and reflecting on life, questioning things. What is marriage? What is love? How do you know you married the right man? Are there things I should know, but no one ever told me? Was my mother wrong about some things? Why do these things matter?
It's a story about a woman who has always kept in line, realizing no one else has...and maybe she doesn't have to, either.
December 10, 2024
Un libro che può essere considerato un character study lungo 300 pagine.
Un character study che, però, non affonda mai veramente il coltello fino all'osso, sviscerando la mente della protagonista (inusuale, il lato più intrigante del libro), e manca di sostanza per fare rimedio a ciò.
Assolutamente godibile, ottima traduzione.
Forse, un po' dimenticabile.
Un character study che, però, non affonda mai veramente il coltello fino all'osso, sviscerando la mente della protagonista (inusuale, il lato più intrigante del libro), e manca di sostanza per fare rimedio a ciò.
Assolutamente godibile, ottima traduzione.
Forse, un po' dimenticabile.
May 27, 2024
I need part 2 of this book 🥲
October 17, 2024
This book has been added to my favorites! I seem to be reading a lot of unhappily married (hetero) women books lately. All my latest reads certainly depict reasons why patriarchy hinder us all. They all just prove to myself that my solo life is the best choice. I love my cats.
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