Read Women discussion

This is the thread for our October discussion of The Chilli Bean Paste Clan by Yan Ge.

If it's not at your library or your on the fence about joining, here's a link to the first chapter, at no charge, displayed at the Leeds Centre for New Chinese Writing's site. There's a link, too, if you want to read it in Chinese. Also, look at the Book Reviews pull down for opportunities to review Balestier titles (!!)

https://writingchinese.leeds.ac.uk/bo....

The Chilli Bean Paste Clan

From Asymptote's review, "The Chilli Bean Paste Clan, delightfully irreverent and dead-on in its descriptions of a dysfunctional modern family, resembles an uproarious dinner party. A storm of conflict and hostility converges upon siblings preparing for their matriarch’s eightieth birthday celebrations in a small Sichuan town. Every character has a secret to be revealed, and a re-reading is needed to catch the hints and subtexts running throughout the novel. .."

See the full, brief spoiler-free review here: https://www.asymptotejournal.com/blog...

Yan Ge

Yan was born in China, immigrated to Ireland in 2015 and now lives in the UK. Yan Ge was shortlisted for the 2021 Warwick Prize for Women in Translation.

Here's an interview of Yan Ge conducted by Maeve Higgins at the 2022 West Cork Literary Festival when she was promoting Strange Beasts of China. It's utterly charming. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6pLz...

Nicky Harman, Translator

If the translation aspect is interesting to you, you might want to check out The Translated Chinese Fiction Podcast at YouTube interview with translator, Nicky Harman. (1:27:29) She's got a lovely British accent, btw.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kqA_t...

I'm hoping to start this book tomorrow but my reading time has been hit the first couple of days of this week. I'm looking forward to reading a multi-generational story, in translation, and am excited about this discussion.

Who's planning to join?

I started it last night and was surprised at how casual/easy the language is. Right away, we are introduced to 2 unfaithful husbands, dad and granddad.

I want to read this but having the hardest time finding it. May have to purchase digitally from Amazon

Anita wrote: "I want to read this but having the hardest time finding it. May have to purchase digitally from Amazon"

Yeah, it’s a UK publisher and I don’t know that there’s a lot of copies available in the US used book market. I got mine from ABE books I think.

Carol wrote: "I started it last night and was surprised at how casual/easy the language is. Right away, we are introduced to 2 unfaithful husbands, dad and granddad."

Have you gotten any further?? You inspired me to read the first chapter you linked in original post and I found it quite entertaining! I'm tempted to order it. I see a decent priced used one on UK Amazon. It would get here mid-month.

This line from the first chapter made me laugh:
Zhu Cheng slammed on the brakes, just avoiding hitting them, then stuck his head out of the car window and shouted lengthy picturesque references to their ancestors.

I'm also intrigued by something I read somewhere saying this writer is one to watch :)

I'm a little more than halfway through this one and have been finding it pretty entertaining.
I appreciate the intimacy as a story of a particular family, rather than, say, historical fiction which I love too. The voice of the narrator, being very casual and at times crass even and from within the family gives the intimate, fun vibe.
As an Asian American, I'm also just loving reading a story reflecting asian daily life- all the food talk mmmm...

I got stuck this weekend on other reads but plan to get back to this tonight. I love the quote you shared, Jen. I"m also much more attracted to books that include real intra-family dialogue and food references are a special treat.

I was planning to join this, and I'm really embarrassed to admit what happened, but in my 3am brain fog one morning I bought Sweet Bean Paste instead. So. I won't be joining this month. Sheesh...

Gail W wrote: "I was planning to join this, and I'm really embarrassed to admit what happened, but in my 3am brain fog one morning I bought Sweet Bean Paste instead. So. I won't be joining this m..."

Enjoy Japan, Gail 😭

(I’ve made similar purchases. There but for the grace of God, go I.)

Gail W wrote: "I was planning to join this, and I'm really embarrassed to admit what happened, but in my 3am brain fog one morning I bought Sweet Bean Paste instead. So. I won't be joining this m..."

but I kinda love that you were awake at 3am and shopping for books.
that one is on my TBR list! Premise sounds sweet. If you don't get to it right away, maybe it can be a group read next year. Otherwise I'd be curious to hear if you like/recommend it.

lol I’ve read the wrong book before for book club reads too Gail. I did just start this one last night myself.i found the colorful language and shouted abuses to neighbors and pedestrians pretty funny myself.

I’m around page 70, and it’s fine, but Dad seems stuck in permanent childishness, I feel for every woman in the story, and am looking forward to one or more of them, including the daughter/narrator, becoming more prominent. The family dynamic is compelling and fun.

Behind all of the adulterers in the family, the generational dysfunction is something else, isn’t it? I’m not sure if it’s cultural or a class thing? But they really seem to take adultery as a lifestyle with the mistresses and the hostesses at the bars. The back and forth time line is a little sudden at times and not smooth at all, but still I’m enjoying reading about this family. Shengqiang is such a character that I wonder at his opinion of his brother, the professor. I’m hoping to learn more about Gran soon since she seems to be the matriarch of the family business. About a third through. Brother Zhiming has come back to help plan the 80th, but with the back story timeline we haven’t moved forward very much.

How’s everyone else coming along with this one?

Anita wrote: "Behind all of the adulterers in the family, the generational dysfunction is something else, isn’t it? I’m not sure if it’s cultural or a class thing? But they really seem to take adultery as a life..."

Yes, re: the adultery- like it's "just how things are" in this story. It's a trip.
I finished this one, so I don't want to give anything away. But I am curious to see if/how yall's views on Shengqiang and the family evolve.
I think before starting the book, I had seen a reviewer somewhere say they found no one likeable. I didn't feel that way at all.

On another note, I got the feeling the translation was not the best it could have been which I think is too bad for the story... but it sounds like it was a challenging task...

Also, I wonder what others think of a story like this being narrated by the daughter. Like, details I cannot imagine her really knowing and such...
why not just a 3rd person telling? Perhaps it brings me in more and helps me find endearing characters who otherwise wouldn't be if I was more removed.

I’m nearly there, just read the big reveal about Jasmine and Chen, so I’m very curious to see how this plays out in the future. There was so much allusion right before about being taken advantage of by people close to you who aren’t family that I knew something was coming, but I was still a little shocked by exactly what and who did the betraying here.

I find the character growth pretty good just within this short period I think Shengqian is reviewing his own relationships closely regarding his brother and wife.

The translation, I don’t even know. I have noticed some American colloquialisms and wonder what the Chinese version of it would have been. I’m sure it would have been interesting. All in all though I enjoy this the further along I get.

I also wondered why it was narrated by the daughter, but think/assume she may come into play by the end of the book?

Anita wrote: "I’m nearly there, just read the big reveal about Jasmine and Chen, so I’m very curious to see how this plays out in the future. There was so much allusion right before about being taken advantage o..."

Yea the reveals are surprising! which is fun...

I think I find the characters endearing because they're complicated and flawed but overall good-hearted. The family relations are very love-hate and very relatable that way.
I wanna say it's not so much that the characters develop as they are revealed more fully through all the stories from the past.

I just finished this last night, a day late, but ultimately I really liked it. I do still find the narration by XingXing strange. Also, was there a big reveal totally glazed over at the end about Gran and shifu Chen? Did I make an incorrect connection that Aunt Coral was their child?

Either way I found it a pretty fun read.

Anita wrote: "I just finished this last night, a day late, but ultimately I really liked it. I do still find the narration by XingXing strange. Also, was there a big reveal totally glazed over at the end about G..."

oh yay, you finished. I really liked it too. Thought it was a really fun and endearing read overall. I'm now totally interested in Yan Ge's more recent release Elsewhere- shorts which she wrote in English this time.
I have alot of serious stuff lined up, so I really look forward to another fun read- maybe not happening until I get to My Sister, the Serial Killer for the December group read...

yea the big reveal about Gran wasn't elaborated on much, but it was a surprise, and I was really like- OK! (view spoiler)[Adultery is just the way of the family! haha... And finally, Gran's walls broke down and showed she was vulnerable too.
Never picked up on the notion that Aunt Coral might be fathered by Shifu Chen! (hide spoiler)]On first read, I just kept wondering until the end, what is true and what is deception. I had moments where I felt a bit anxious for the story to go forward, but overall enjoyed it. Kinda felt like the climatic reveals were all pushed toward the end. But I can't imagine another way it could've been mapped out.
Overall fun dysfunctional family read.

I agree Jen! It was fun read. The outrageous gasps when Zhiming showed up with Qin made me laugh because I was like he talked only about her and the only other way it could have gone would have been if he showed up with Jasmine, lol.

Anita wrote: "I agree Jen! It was fun read. The outrageous gasps when Zhiming showed up with Qin made me laugh because I was like he talked only about her and the only other way it could have gone would have bee..."

I think the story really got me in the POV of Shengqiang and I was suspicious of his brother's behavior and stories until the end. I was totally expecting (view spoiler)[it was gonna be Jasmine (hide spoiler)]. Haha...