在《巴黎评论》对余华的访谈中,他提到, 《兄弟》中的性爱描写是用来表达两个时代之间的差异的重要方式”——The Cultural Revolution是一个极端性压抑的时期,而改革开放的早期,与其说是性开放的时代,不如说是性狂热的时代。在The Cultural Revolution期间,有很多男人在澡堂里偷窥女人。很多人这样做却不愿承认,所以在这本书出版后,他们会说我那个时候一定在澡堂偷窥过。我怀疑他们是因为我写了关于他们的事情而感到不满,你知道吗?改革开始后,一些有钱人开始娶十个老婆。我认识一个人,他盖了一栋七层楼的房子,每层都有一个老婆——我亲眼看到的,我认识这个人。”
而另外一个故事中,余华提到了一位法国女记者对他的采访,那时是2008年出版法文版《兄弟》,这位法国女记者给余华说起了法国男人如何在厕所偷窥的故事,余华感到好奇说“李光头在厕所里偷窥的故事发生在中国的”The Cultural Revolution”时期,那是一个性压抑的年代,你们法国的男人和女人上床并不那么困难,为什么还要去厕所偷窥?“,女记者回答:“这是你们男人的本性”。
I picked up The Story of Lu Keming (卢克明的偷偷一笑) from a bookstore in Beijing after noticing it had stayed in the Top 10 bestseller list for several days. It was advertised as humorous and entertaining, and with Yu Hua's name on the cover, I decided to bring a copy home.
The story follows Lu Keming, the owner of a renovation company, as he navigates money, relationships, desire and self-interest. To me, he's essentially the definition of a scumbag. As the first book in Yu Hua's "Scoundrel" series, it is noticeably lighter than many of his famous works. Instead of tragedy, it relies on dark humour, satire and absurd situations to reflect aspects of modern society.
The novel is very readable. The pacing is brisk, something is always happening, and it never feels dull.
That said, it didn't leave a particularly deep emotional impact on me. Unlike The Lychees of Chang'an, it wasn't a story that stayed in my mind long after I finished it.
What lingered instead was a different question: Why did Yu Hua choose to write this book?
Given his talent, it's no surprise that he could make the story of a scumbag entertaining. What interests me more is what he wanted readers to see through Lu Keming. Was he mocking society? Exploring human nature? Or simply experimenting with a different style of storytelling?
For me, that question turned out to be more interesting than Lu Keming himself.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.