Chaos and All That: An Irreverent Novel (Fiction from Modern China) by Liu Sola

by Liu Sola

This brilliant little novel, set against the backdrop of post-Mao China, juxtaposes recollections of childhood, pet ownership, and marriage with discussions of art, sex, and murder, weaving together an absurdist tapestry that is the inner life of the novel's felicitously named protagonist, Huang Haha. Deftly manipulating language and point of view, author Liu Sola combines a range of different voices from past and present, binding the resulting clash of disparate narrative and linguistic elements together with a rollicking sense of the absurd.

Genres: Fiction, China

Paperback

First published October 1, 1994

About the author

Liu Sola (Chinese: 刘索拉 aka: Liu Suola; Beijing, China) is a Chinese composer, vocalist, music producer, and author.

After graduating from the Central Conservatory of Music with a degree in composition, she published her award-winning novella You Have no Choice. Since 1980’s, Liu Sola has scored many Chinese and international film sound tracks, as well as TV and drama productions. She has composed music for orchestra, ensemble, opera, modern theater, modern dance, and art exhibitions. Her range of musical styles includes classical music, jazz, early music, rock, traditional and contemporary music. She is frequently invited to perform at international music festivals and has recorded and collaborated with many international artists. During the 90’s, she recorded with Pol Brennan, Bill Laswell, James Blood Ulmer, Jerome Bailey, Henry Threadgill, Umar Bin Hassan, Amina C. Myers, Fernando Sounders, Pheeroan aKlaff so on. In 2003, she founded [Liu Sola & Friends] Ensemble, teaming up with Chinese instrumental virtuosos such as Li Zhengui, Zhang Yangsheng, and Yang Jing, together with other young award winning soloists. In 2012, Chinese guitar virtuoso Liu Yijun (lao wu) joined the ensemble.

Her opera music works include: chamber opera Fantasy of the Red Queen (2006), performed by Ensemble Modern and [Liu Sola & Friends] Ensemble. Liu Sola is the libretto and music composer, artistic director, costume designer and leading vocalist.

Chamber opera The Afterlife of Li Jiantong (2009) is a work dedicated to her mother, a Chinese political-historical writer. Liu Sola wrote both the libretto and the music. Conducted and performed by Paul Hillier/Theatre of Voices.

She is the founder of Liu Sola (Beijing ) Music Studio, located in China.Songzhuang, an artist district. Liu Sola designed and built a music space for her ensemble to rehearse and record. Over the years, she has composed and produced film soundtracks for directors such as Zhang Nuanxin, Michel Apted, Li Shaohong, Lv Yue, Ning Ying and others. In 2013, she established [Liu Sola & Friends] Ensemble Independent Film Music Work Shop. She is the author of the novels Chaos & All That (1991), Nv Zhen Tang (2000)/ [La Grande Île des Tortues – Cochons], Lost in Fascination (2011), and other award winning novellas and essay collections.

(from Wikipedia)

Reviews

[Soph · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this style and novel. But don’t take advice from people like me. Just do what you want, don’t do what you don’t want, okay?

[Kenneth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a story of a young Chinese woman named Huang Haha, who experienced the Chinese cultural revolution of the 1960's while growing up but is now living in London, UK. Her story is full of flashbacks to her past, of various episodes dealing with various family members - her parents and "Auntie", and with various friends. At age 12 in the mid 1960s, she wants to join the Red Guards like her brother has. One of the qualifications seems to be a flamboyant use of obscenities and profanities - she and a friend practice away at it. Things don't work out. Her father is driven to suicide. She and her friends think a lot about what is right and wrong. They talk a lot about sex and getting married. Some of them eventually do, and end up divorced. They make up a lot of poetry. Things settle down after the Cultural Revolution ends and she is able to complete her education in the 1970s, and eventually leave China. To some extent, Huang Haha's story parallels the author's own life.

[Mircalla · Rating 3 out of 5]

o della vita sprecata di chi non può decidere del proprio futuro

diario adolescenziale di un'aspirante qualcosa, qualsiasi cosa che le permetta di vivere una vita "normale" nella Cina degli anni del Grande Balzo in avanti e della Rivoluzione culturale, prima e delle Aperture e Riforme poi...un po' come fosse l'arte di arrangiarsi alla cinese

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Original and artistically written, this short novel depicts life in post-Mao China. Having known little about life in post-Mao China, I found this to be an interesting read. The language is not watered down, it is strong, and to-the-point; I appreciated that.

[Daren · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh, I guess it is good that it is a short book, otherwise I probably wouldn't have persisted. The story of a girl living in London, recalling her life and family growing up in Peking (Beijing).

[Dave · Rating 2 out of 5]

There's a pretty good fart joke and some funny bits on swearing and I'm not going to try to tell you I didn't enjoy those. The rest of the book wasn't terrible but nothing I'd recommend.