China Dream – Ma Jian

Rating: 5 stars

When, I first read this book, I had a hard figuring out what genre this book exactly is. Is it dystopian? Only if you count modern China as it. Is it Sci-Fi? There’s very little Sci-Fi to it. In fact, it’s relegated to a few sentences in a couple of chapters. Is it satire? Well, yes, but satire isn’t really a genre (though it’s usually literary or comedic). I forget the word, but it’s literary with a few supernatural elements (like Toni Morris or Paul Coelho).

It’s hard to describe what I liked about the book is that I liked everything about it. The first chapter feels like Sci-Fi, and it reminded me of the best parts of Sci-Fi, especially the stuff I like from the 60s to 70s. What may be disappointing to some is how little Sci-Fi there is in it. But that’s kinda the point. A few other things (like the daughter of the protagonist) get a somewhat superficial treatment, but, again, that may be the point.

As I’ve talked about in my other reviews, there’s this push to be a decision to make up a plot. This plot has no decision, but I don’t think that negatively impacts the character development. From the books on screen writing I’ve read, they’d call this a non-plot. But that’s not what’s going on. It’s a story, and it’s one I’m happy I read.

I felt like this review should be a bit longer. The story is about the destruction of a man’s psyche as he finds it harder by the day to separate the brutality and tragedies of his youth from he modern attitude of China to both literally and metaphorically pave over and ignore their history in the 20th century.