Ha Jin

A new collection of twelve short stories captures the daily lives and experiences of Chinese women and men who struggle to deal with the influx of Western influence into a society that attempts to control their every thought and move. By the author of Waiting. Reprint. 60,000 first printing.

Stories

The Bridegroom

Dorian Avers

This is one of my favorite anthologies that I've read so far. Most of the stories read more like fables without being preachy. There was something to gain or be interpreted, but others just showed different ways of life. Sometimes it felt like you were reading a fairy tale, like in "A Tiger-Fighter Is Hard to Find" and "Saboteur", and sometimes it felt just a little too uncomfortably real like, "Broken" and "An Official Reply". Looking back at all the stories "The Bridegroom" is the one I least remember. I just went back and read the first sentence and it all came back. This is a solid anthology because I was hooked and intrigued by pretty much every story, nothing felt like it was a burden to get through with the hopes the next story would be worth it. There's just such an ease to Ha Jin's writing. It drops you in some turmoil while still maintaining some level of calm. The stories are never convoluted or overdone, he knows what he needs to say and just how much detail should be involved. The view from the prison during "Saboteur" still sticks with me and that was the first story I read.

The Bridegroom Stories

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