This book truly gave me the sensation of waiting, perhaps fulfilling its intended purpose.

However, it wasn't a pleasant form of waiting. It resembled the kind I endured when accompanying my parents to a government office. They would demand that I sit quietly and be on my best behavior.

As a result, I would experience an excruciating physical pain in certain unmentionable areas of my body due to the intense urge to fidget that I had to suppress.

Surprisingly, that memory actually sounds far more thrilling than this book turned out to be.

In fact, the book failed to engage me on a deeper level and left me feeling rather disappointed.

It lacked the excitement and charm that I had hoped for, making the reading experience somewhat dull and uneventful.

Despite its attempt to create a sense of anticipation, it ultimately fell short of my expectations.

Maybe there are other books out there that can better capture my attention and provide a more enjoyable reading experience.

Wooden writing and shallow characters might initially give the impression of a lackluster read. However, this particular story holds a certain charm that can only be attributed to its setting in mid/late 20th century China. It delves into themes such as discipline, the complex combination of longing and detachment, and the missed opportunities that are so often a part of life during that era.

Book Wyrm's description perhaps sums it up best: "it was like trying to listen to an account of an orgy told by the world's most boring eunuch." This rather vivid and somewhat humorous comparison offers an interesting perspective on the book. To get a more in-depth understanding of his thoughts, one can visit his review here.

Despite its flaws in writing and character development, the story manages to captivate readers with its unique setting and exploration of themes that are both timely and timeless. It serves as a reminder that sometimes, even in the most unexpected of places, we can find a story that has the power to engage and intrigue us.

Lin Kong, a doctor in the army, faces a complex situation. His parents, due to the need for farm help and care in old age, arrange a marriage with a local girl named Shuyu. Shuyu is illiterate and has bound feet, which is uncommon in the 1960s. Lin feels ashamed of her and, despite providing for her and their daughter, rarely visits and never brings them to the city.

Meanwhile, Manna, a nurse, is getting older and fears becoming an old maid. A relationship develops between her and Lin, but the rules on the army base prevent any physical contact. As the years pass and Lin's parents die, Shuyu is no longer needed, so Lin decides to divorce her to marry Manna. However, when he applies to the courts, Shuyu's brother persuades the judge to rule against the divorce, and this continues for years.

Lin's relationship with Manna is stormy. They are both frustrated by their inability to be together. There are ways to circumvent the no-contact rule, but neither is willing to risk their careers for sex. Manna is an emotional woman prone to dramatic outbursts, while Lin is reserved and inexperienced in emotional life and relationships. Both suffer inner turmoil, and there are comical moments as well.

Lin is academic and loves reading, but the available material is restricted. He often reads propaganda disguised as political history. When he has the opportunity to read Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass, he struggles to understand the poems. Interestingly, the only one he can identify with is A Song for Occupations.

The contrast between life in the country and the city is stark, and we witness the changes in both societies over three decades. The lives of individuals are severely restricted, with no equality and only various power struggles. Bribery is rampant, and only those with money can achieve more than the basics. It's no wonder this book was vilified in China.

Ha Jin based this book on a true story, but he developed the characters and story. Lin is uptight, introverted, and emotionally immature, but he has a good heart. He comes to understand his faults and discovers what is truly important in life. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and became emotionally invested in the outcome. The portrayal of social, educational, and cultural control in China through the decades was fascinating. However, the English in which it is written shows that it's not the author's native language, with some archaic words and phrases. Despite this, I give it 4.5 stars.

This is a novel filled with yearning and the bittersweet experience of waiting for something that seems just out of reach, all while failing to truly appreciate the goodness that exists right in front of one. Set in China during the years following the Cultural Revolution, Lin, a military doctor, spends the majority of the year residing at a military hospital, far away from his wife and daughter. Before long, he finds himself attracted to a nurse and starts to become dissatisfied with his old-fashioned peasant wife. For a staggering 18 years, the courts continuously deny his application for divorce. And for those same 18 years, he stealthily steals moments with the nurse, as military rules strictly prevent him from fraternizing with the opposite sex. On the surface, little seems to happen over the course of this novel, as each person simply grows old, fulfilling their respective lots in life. However, beneath the surface, everything is happening within these pages. As Lin embarks on the archetypal journey towards self-knowledge, he discovers more about himself, his desires, and the true nature of his relationships.

This novel thus offers a profound exploration of human nature, love, and the consequences of our actions in a unique historical context.

From the very beginning, I simply could not put this book down.

The story had such an alluring charm that it completely intrigued me, and I found myself desperately longing to know the entire story behind it.

I really cannot fathom why the rating of this book is so low.

The story is not only highly entertaining but also reads at a brisk pace, keeping me engaged from start to finish.

Moreover, it vividly showcases a wealth of Chinese culture and offers valuable insights into how people interact with and navigate within that cultural context.

It makes one reflect on the various life choices we make and the countless moments of waiting that we experience in life.

Overall, I would rate this book a solid 5 points.

Ok, so here's how I got rabies. True story.

I'm in Thailand. Thailand is pretty much awesome. I like going there a lot, as long as you stay away from touristy places like Phuket and don't go to Bangkok. People get sucked into Bangkok and never return.

So, I'm in Bangkok (of course) and it's hard not to get sucked into a place like that, you know? Fifty bajillion people stacked on top of each other like sardines, zipping around on highly unsafe wheeled vehicles that would never pass a California safety emissions test, and not just because their mufflers are made of duct tape. It's fascinating. And scary. You can't survive there long without help. I'm guessing that's why they made Khao San Road.

Khao San Road is like... it's like... well, it's "civilization". At least that's what an Australian kid once told me over a beer on the street. I think he got it pretty right. It's like a mecca for weary travelers in Southeast Asia, smack dab in the middle of the city, with hostels every two feet, nice old women offering to do your laundry for ridiculously cheap prices, massage parlors, restaurants with food you can pronounce in your native tongue (they try so hard, but still, what's with the corn on my pizza? No one eats corn on their pizza, guys). It's like "safe Bangkok". When you stumble into Khao San Road after 2 weeks off the map in Cambodia, you could almost weep for joy. "Civilization", you see? Everyone there is on their way to somewhere or recovering from somewhere. Khao San isn't a place you go just to visit, it's a place you go after visiting somewhere else.

And it's crazy. Especially when things get dark. Black market goods. Fake watches. Hair braiding. Ping pong ball shows? Street performers. I mean, you can get all this in other places in Asia, probably with more variety and less chance of being kidnapped into slavery. But there's something about the relief in being back in "civilization" that makes people go crazy. It might have something to do with the children running around in the streets, offering to sell you cocktails mixed in beach buckets. No actually it probably has a lot to do with the beach buckets.

See after traveling in crazy places, keeping your guard up, trying not to get malaria, or lost, or eaten by wild animals, it's nice to have a safe zone filled with other tourists. Logically, the first thing you do when you get to this zone is find a beer and try to one up someone else with a story of how you almost got malaria, or lost, or eaten by wild animals.

This was my plan, anyway. So I settle down with a pad thai and a watermelon shake, under the glow of the Chelsea game (thanks satellite) at a nice little pub. The bar opens out into the street. It's a hot night, but the fans are going. A stream of humanity trickles by me in slow motion. And that's when, out of nowhere, a wild animal actually tried to eat me. Yes, at the bar. It was large and growly, with terrifying eyes that glistened under the table. Kind of. I mean it hadn't been cuddled in awhile, so its hair was kind of tufty. And it WAS on the larger side, for most kittens. I totally made up the part about the eyes.

It thought I was offering it some shrimp. Which, I wasn't. I was going to throw the shrimp across the floor of the bar so it could run after it. And stop sitting on my flip flop. Unfortunately, the kitty was faster than my puny human reflexes, and whilst nabbing the shrimp from my hand, it also kind of bit me.

When you get bit by a loner cat in Thailand, nobody cares. Which is cool. Turns out, when you get bit by a cat in Thailand and then casually mention it to your travel physician in an email, ya know, because you want to make sure the tetanus shot kicked in before you left, well... people go crazy. Important people. Like county department of health people. They want you to come home so you can do boring stuff like be safe, and get a post-exposure rabies vaccine. Blaaaaah. Boring.

Which is exactly what I was expecting the 16 hour plane flights back home to be. Hella boring. So I found this book, "Waiting" (you were just WAITING to see what this review had to do with it, huh?! huh?? haha puns!) and tucked it into my bag to stave off the craziness. (Not the rabies-crazy, that doesn't kick in for 2 weeks. The "I can't stand to watch another Korean soap opera on this 3x3 inch screen while a small Japanese child throws hello kitty jelly beans at me for the next 12 hours" crazy).

Well, it sucked. The book that is. About three dozen people have said this already, and way more succinctly than me... you spend this book waiting for it to get good. And then it doesn't. I don't need my literature to have a point, an ending, or even, sometimes, a plot. But I do like it to have interesting characters and at least one satisfying moment of decent prose. This novel, I can honestly say, had none.

So I thought, if all these people came to this page on goodreads to read a review of the book, angry that they had wasted their time with such a long and unfufilling narrative like "Waiting"... I might as well give them a story that at least TRIES to be 1/10th as good as "Waiting". Since none of us can get our money back. Or the fake silver watch we traded for it. Ya know, whatever.

PS. Did you know you have to get FOUR freaking shots to stave off the rabies? Srsly. I'm not even going to tell you where either.

3.5 stars, rounded up.

I am often astonished by books that I anticipate to be about one subject and end up being about something else entirely. This particular story is set in Communist China. What I initially expected was a detailed analysis of that historical period. While that was indeed an element, this book is truly centered around a man named Lin Kong. He is unable to decide how to live his life, and as a consequence, he always finds himself waiting for his life to commence.

There is happiness and potential all around him, yet he is never able to seize any of it. His wife, whom he became attached to through an arranged marriage, is a peasant woman. She appears too simple, rustic, and uneducated for his tastes and social position. However, his visits home demonstrate to us that he might have been content in her company if he had permitted himself to be. He rejects her companionship and misses out on the entire life of his daughter, who could have been a source of joy in his life but wasn't. His mistress, if one can truly call her that, is a well-educated woman with whom he works. But he can never commit himself to her seriously enough to divorce his wife and start a genuine life with her. The result is that all three of these people are constantly waiting, waiting for his decision, for him to take action, for life to begin.

The story is written in a concise style that reflects the thoughts and confusion of Lin Kong. I found it suitable for this narrative, although it can be bleak and almost depressing at times. I had different emotional responses to each of these three characters at various points in the story. Like all human beings, they are complex and not always likable. Perhaps the wife is a bit of a cliché, being dutiful and self-deprecating, but I do believe there would have been women in this situation during the early stages of the transition to Mao's China. Old worlds do not give way to new worlds without trapping some people in the middle.

If nothing else, this book serves as a reminder that our lives are finite - it is best to live them while we have the opportunity.

The premise of the novel is that waiting is an emotion.

By the end of the book, I found myself ready to concede the point to the author. This was truly one of the most exasperating stories I've ever had the misfortune to read.

I really grew wearied of waiting for the culmination of the story. The writing itself was excellent, that much is not in dispute.

However, the story simply drove me insane as we were made to wait and wait and wait for Lin to finally grow a spine and marry the woman he so vehemently claimed to love.

And she, in turn, just dutifully waited and waited and waited, seemingly without end.

In all seriousness, while the author provided a perfect story to illustrate his point of view, it still managed to drive me crazy with all the interminable waiting.

It made me question why I bothered to keep reading, yet at the same time, it was a testament to the author's skill in creating such a powerful and frustrating narrative.

This book had been haunting me for years, and now that I've finally finished it, it still haunts me.

From the very first page, this book is extremely difficult to put down. The narrative immediately grabs your attention and keeps you engaged. However, at times, the writing gives the impression of watching a foreign film where the drama on the screen is overly exaggerated, while the dialogue is rather understated. This disconnect prevents me from completely losing myself in the book.

But perhaps this is just my personal perception. (I recently finished The Sympathizer, which truly swept me away and made me completely immersed in its story).

Nonetheless, the story itself and the window it provides into China after the revolution are truly fantastic. It offers a unique and fascinating perspective on a significant period in Chinese history, and despite the minor drawbacks in the writing style, it is a book that is well worth reading.

DNF@38%

3.5 stars.

A restrained and slow-paced novel, it is brimming with details about China's Cultural Revolution. This rich tapestry of historical context lends a certain believability to the novel's setting. The plot revolves around a Chinese Army doctor, Lin Kong. He has made numerous attempts to divorce his wife, Shuyu, in order to marry his female colleague, Manna. However, these efforts have all ended in failure.

While this is the basic synopsis of the novel, it doesn't rely on melodrama. Instead, the plot unfolds rather quietly, focusing on the quotidian details of the lives of Lin and Shuyu. I was completely riveted by the simple yet powerful storytelling. The author effortlessly incorporates details of the Cultural Revolution, showing how it affects the lives of the characters and those around them.

However, by the end of the novel, I found myself growing weary of the protagonist. His immaturity and lack of insight became increasingly frustrating. I couldn't help but view the novel as the tale of a man who thinks he's good, but is truly a fuckboy.

Despite this, I'm still looking forward to my next read by Ha Jin. His writing has a unique charm that keeps me coming back for more.

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