The Pearl Jacket and Other Stories: Flash Fiction from Contemporary China

by Shouhua Qi

China's hottest literary genre brings together the traditional, the experimental, and the avant-garde.

Genres: Fiction, Short Stories, China

364 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 1, 2008

Reviews

[Theresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am writing a lot of flash fiction these days, and I enjoyed the stories in this book. They are not afraid to be ambiguous, to not have a well-recognized "plot." They seem to portray feelings, or even little fables, and they seem distinctly non-American, non-English in their tone. That said, there were just a lot of stories in this book, and it was almost like having three-times the dessert one wanted - an overabundance of sweets. It feels like you can't quite take in too many of these without feeling overstuffed.

[Jeffrey Powanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent collection of flash fiction from modern China. Short fiction you can read in the span of a few minutes. Lots of different approaches here: Some of the stories have a surprising or ironic twist at the end, some are just a beautiful slice of mundanity, and some are just plain strange. Loved 'em all. Also loved to see so many great Chinese writers represented here, including Deng Kaishang, Yu Dafu, Lao She, Guo Moruo, and Lu Xun. I borrowed this book from the Seattle Public Library, but it's so good I bought my own copy.

[René · Rating 1 out of 5]

Full of sexist, classist, and ableist stories.

[Alan · Rating 4 out of 5]

review coming

[Jan Moens · Rating 4 out of 5]

7/10