This, is an absolute banger. Now I totally understand the hype. And I have to say, this is probably the best thing I’ve ever read in Chinese.
The idea is so unique: the process of a writer writing a memoir, interwoven with the memoir itself, surrounding the idea of writing as a way to remember, to record the moments. It deals with growing up, family, human relationships, and is just so beautifully written. The dialogues and the scenes are so lively, and I think the whole novel is just so sincere and believable. It feels like you’re sitting down with the protagonist, reading her drafts and listening to her talking. The thinking process of the protagonist is so interesting, and watching her debating with her self is such a joy. Also there are so many mysteries left. I want to know her whole life now.
By both show and tell, the author creates a world where fiction and documentary are shared in one place. This is such a beautiful work, filled with emotions, literary references, and most importantly, sincere human interactions.
This will be a modern classic of Taiwanese literature. Love it, love it, love it.
Won't say I understand everything in this book, but from what I know, this book can be a very special milestone for every Taiwanese book market. It shows that while Taiwanese history is interesting, not every good book from a Taiwanese writer should be writing about history, and personal, merely interesting reflection upon life is doable too. Aight, back to the book itself. I've spent about 4 days to read it through, but I think with Lee's writing, one can easily stop and comtemplate each sentence and chapter for much longer time. The overall writing style of her is crazy fun, very meta, but unlike many trying to be meta, her writing are strong. Would definitly love to read more books like this, and (though I don't think Lee herself gives a fuck about that, judge by how she talks aobut writing within this book) I think this is a step towards the right direction for Taiwanese literature.
An amazing “fiction” that is written as a biography, with a lot of interesting elements, including the techniques in writing fictions and biographies, as well as traditional, well-known childhood tales. Surprisingly a great and enjoyable page turner.