Something Like A House

by Sid Smith

This is Jim Fraser`s an incredible, often chilling account of his life as an army deserter living through the terrible upheavals of the Cultural Revolution, when China descended into a moral and physical chaos so extreme that cannibalism became, for some, the only way of survival. Unable to speak the language and totally ignorant of local customs, Jim Fraser makes his home in a community so isolated that even the Cultural Revolution impinges little on the ways of the villagers. Except that the village`s very isolation has made it the perfect location for experiments of sheer, indescribable terror... `I suspect this book will be compared with Robinson Crusoe (the outsider building his own abode) and Lord of the Flies (the long-term effects of context on individual mortality). It is a profound and sophisticated work of fiction` Observer

Genres: Fiction

Paperback

First published January 1, 1955

Reviews

[Sherry Sjostrom · Rating 3 out of 5]

The start of the book was a little disjointed. I found it hard to follow where the main character was at - how he got there - and what his character was like. You got little snippets through the book but nothing that felt that you really knew or understood the main character, Fraiser, who was a British deserter in the Korean war. Why he deserted and decided to stay in China - who knows? It was only at the end of the book (last 30 pages) and reading the Afterword by the author, Sid Smith, that you became aware of the main purpose of the book - biological warfare, experiments conducted by the Chinese to see what pathogen would destroy certain ethnic races without harming the Chinese race. The title of the book? Something like a house - refers to the Chinese character that spells out the main characters name - who throughout the book is referred to as Frasier or the long nose. I'm not in any big hurry to read Sid Smith's other book A House by the River - maybe someday to see if it was any better.

[Dave Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is above average westerner-lives-in-rustic-Chinese-village tale could have been great. It's all very well written. Its minimalist prose is striking. Early abuse leads to bonding with the natives. Close to the end, however, the book is suddenly transformed into science fiction. The sudden switch reminded me of 'Miss Smila's Feeling for Snow' - OK, so there's not exactly an alien killer worm in the last chapter, but you get the picture.

[Jeannie Mills · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don't know why I read this. It is not my style.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

OK. WWII deserter lives in Remote village in China

[Just This · Rating 4 out of 5]

eh... this book definitely wasn't published in 1955!!!!! 2001, people! ;-)

[Fishsanwitt]

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