Rhinoceros in Love

by Liao Yimei, Mark Talacko (Translator)

ebook

First published June 1, 1999

Reviews

[Gabby Risley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had a very complicated time selecting a rating for this one. On one hand, Rhinoceroses in Love is deeply uncomfortable to watch play out. This discomfort feels so entirely intentional. The writing is sharp, and it evokes a visceral response that lingers well beyond the final scene. Even though we know how it is going to end from the first scene exactly how it gets there is still attention grasping.
The portrayal of the protagonist is haunting. He embodies a disturbing, all-too-familiar sense of entitlement, not just to a woman’s attention and mental energy, but to her body, her time, and her inner world. The character’s obsession is framed as romantic “love,” but it's a twisted, self-serving form of desire that completely disregards a persons autonomy.
This isn’t a romantic play and I think it’s a shame that it gets talked about as such. When left to ask myself what it actually is I would say it is a dissection of this toxic male fixation masquerading as affection. Ultimately this play was maddening, incredibly frustrating and well done.
While it was hard to read at times…I appreciate how effectively it challenges our ideas about love, obsession, and control.

[Ellen Chih · Rating 5 out of 5]

Avant garde theater script from China. Epic.