There’s Nothing I Can Do When I Think of You Late at Night

by Cao Naiqian, John Balcom (Translator), 曹乃谦Cao Naiqian

Set among a remote cluster of cave dwellings in Shanxi province, There's Nothing I Can Do When I Think of You Late at Night is a genre-defying expos' of rural communism. In a series of vivid, interlocking vignettes, several narrators speak of adultery, bestiality, incest, and vice, revealing the consequences of desire in a world of necessity.

The Wen Clan Caves are based on an isolated village where the author, Cao Naiqian, lived during the Cultural Revolution. The land is hard and unforgiving and the people suffer in poverty and ignorance. Through the individual perspectives of the Wen Clan denizens, a complete portrait of village life takes shape. Dark yet lyrical, Cao's snapshots range from pastoral stories of childhood innocence to shocking accounts of brutality and terror. His work echoes William Faulkner's Go Down, Moses and Sherwood Anderson's Winesburg, Ohio, yet the author's depictions of elemental passions and regional mores make the book entirely his own.

Celebrated for its economy of expression, flashes of humor, and an emphasis on understatement rarely found in Chinese fiction, There's Nothing I Can Do When I Think of You Late at Night is an excellent introduction to the power and craft of Cao Naiqian. His vivid personalities and unflinching realism herald the haunting work of an original literary force.

Genres: China, Short Stories, Fiction, Chinese Literature

248 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 2009

Reviews

[Sihle 🪻🌸🌷🌼🌝 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay so I freaken love this, it so different and unique. I like the use of an oversimplified writing style that perfectly matches the chaotic, often surreal mood of the stories. The language is stripped down, almost casual but this simplicity is what makes the emotional moments land harder and the absurd ones feel believable. It feels like a drunk uncle at a family gathering, casually spilling neighbourhood gossip with both humour and surprising emotional insight. There’s something deeply familiar about the way the narrators speak, funny, crude, and strangely profound. This contrast between tone and content makes the stories feel both grounded and unstable. You’re laughing one minute, then unsettled the next. The story I read ended in such a disturbingly creepy way that it caught me off guard, like the punchline of a joke that turns into a scream. That sudden shift from comedy to horror is what makes Cao’s work so memorable and so haunting.

[Annie Tucker · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book was totally f-ing awesome. the language was so powerful with a harsh blunt beauty that i often read and reread sentences just to marvel at them and let it all sink in. cut right to the heart of what it means to be a human beast, plus the translator's intro about the author makes you wish he had written his own autobiography as well...police reporter sent to the outer regions b/c of a personal grudge, wrote his first book on a dare from a friend... highly recommend! plus the short short story format means they are perfect for right before bed. and it's a very handsome volume.

[LIYANG · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve read the Chinese version of this collection of short stories by Cao. He is a great writer,and one of the best ones in northwest China.

[Anthony · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thirty interwoven short stories capturing the lives of dwellers from the Wen Clan Caves during the Cultural Revolution. Their daily existence is mundane and base - in constant search for fried cakes and sex - but an accurate depiction according to Cao of 1970s rural life in China. You likely have not met characters like these, like Corncob who shouts out "hot hot" everytime he's visually stimulated and lusts after his mother, or Lucky Ox whose strength is legendary, and his clumsiness too. We're fed a diet on kings and urban elites, so these are rather foreign caricatures, but hopefully will lead you to appreciate the travails of rural squalor and the meticulousness with which Cao crafts each individual.

[Awakeatone · Rating 3 out of 5]

read at most 1/3 of the book. Language is harsh and so unexpected, good possibility that the countryfolk do talk like this. Good glimpse into the country folks people. Maybe will keep this book.

[Andrea Marin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Think of it as a really disturbed and sex obsessed (although hardly any sex takes place) Chinese Macondo.