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sidharthvardhan's review against another edition
4.0
Much more readable than 'Four Books' and reading I further helped by Yan Lianke's afterward whose style of prose despite what he says is a bit like Rushdi and Marquez who often used the absurd reality which letting your own world view be designed entirely by reading of newspapers will let you have. Absurd magical events do happen here as much as in Four Books that have their inspiration in newspapers as Lianke points out. Both books are satire on China and its economic development. Both are written in a kind of social history way.
Explosion Chronicles though is less adventurous, more grounded on reality and easier to read. It follows events of development of what started as a small village called Explosion with what are mostly unethical ways of making money.
Explosion Chronicles though is less adventurous, more grounded on reality and easier to read. It follows events of development of what started as a small village called Explosion with what are mostly unethical ways of making money.
dalhausen's review against another edition
4.0
The Explosion Chronicles is based on the development of the village of Explosion to a provincial-level metropolis in contemporary China. The book's chapters are titled "Geographical Transformation 1," "Revolutionary Biographies," "Assessment of the New Era," and the like, and is meant to read as the sensationalized but factual history that will popularly recount the story of Explosion's decades of success and growth.
We meet the families Kong and Zhu at the outset of the book. Kong Mingliang, Mingguang, Mingyao, and Minghui are driven from their beds in the middle of the night in their teenage years at the demand of a ubiquitous dream dreamt by their parents, and each take a different route into the city to find their destiny. The first object that they encounter will determine their course in life. Mingliang encounters Zhu Ying and a ballot slip, and deciphers his fate as his eventual running for village leader, rather than choosing to interpret (or accept) the girl before him as his future. Zhu Ying, for her part, decides that she will be as successful as possible in order to bring Mingliang to his knees before her (she means this literally), and the battle between them to lead the village of Explosion to the forefront of the directive for economic advancement in the early 80's begins. With the help of Zhu Ying, who sees Kong Mingliang as her future husband and professional nemesis, he becomes village leader, and through a series of hyperbolic events, the Explosion's transformation becomes their central goal and the driving force that distorts the Kong and Zhu family in peculiar ways.
The essential pieces to grasp for the reasoning, the symbolism, and what is seemingly magical realism on overdrive, are best and quite explicitly described in the Author's Note at the back of the book. I wouldn't say that it would be unwise to read this before reading the book necessarily, but for times when the story seems to lag a bit because it keeps a steady pace of fantastically mundane events throughout, it may be prudent to flip back there, take a peek at the author's intent, and then go back to the story.
That being said, I feel that his intent to write a novel that is told in the mythorealist style, which we come to interpret as the psychology behind modern China, was brilliantly executed. Through the readings that I've done on China in the 21st century, some events are so completely absurd and almost unbelievably ridiculous (but uniformly accepted by the majority of the population, and supported and enacted with complete faith and diligence) that at a certain point, it makes sense why one idea begets a bizarre action; you simply believe, and it is so. The author argues that the idea of mythorealism isn't a "because of this, that" but something more akin to an unspoken radical acceptance of the nature of things, one that makes little sense if analyzed circumstantially.
"Mythorealism, meanwhile, captures a hidden internal logic contained in china's reality. It explodes reality, such that contemporary China's absurdity, chaos, and disorder- together with non-reaslism and illogicality- all become easily comprehensible."
As a great fan of magical realism, I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a new spin on a well loved method of storytelling. Even more so, I recommend this as a necessary new piece of Chinese literature that presents a groundbreaking style which cannot be ignored.
We meet the families Kong and Zhu at the outset of the book. Kong Mingliang, Mingguang, Mingyao, and Minghui are driven from their beds in the middle of the night in their teenage years at the demand of a ubiquitous dream dreamt by their parents, and each take a different route into the city to find their destiny. The first object that they encounter will determine their course in life. Mingliang encounters Zhu Ying and a ballot slip, and deciphers his fate as his eventual running for village leader, rather than choosing to interpret (or accept) the girl before him as his future. Zhu Ying, for her part, decides that she will be as successful as possible in order to bring Mingliang to his knees before her (she means this literally), and the battle between them to lead the village of Explosion to the forefront of the directive for economic advancement in the early 80's begins. With the help of Zhu Ying, who sees Kong Mingliang as her future husband and professional nemesis, he becomes village leader, and through a series of hyperbolic events, the Explosion's transformation becomes their central goal and the driving force that distorts the Kong and Zhu family in peculiar ways.
The essential pieces to grasp for the reasoning, the symbolism, and what is seemingly magical realism on overdrive, are best and quite explicitly described in the Author's Note at the back of the book. I wouldn't say that it would be unwise to read this before reading the book necessarily, but for times when the story seems to lag a bit because it keeps a steady pace of fantastically mundane events throughout, it may be prudent to flip back there, take a peek at the author's intent, and then go back to the story.
That being said, I feel that his intent to write a novel that is told in the mythorealist style, which we come to interpret as the psychology behind modern China, was brilliantly executed. Through the readings that I've done on China in the 21st century, some events are so completely absurd and almost unbelievably ridiculous (but uniformly accepted by the majority of the population, and supported and enacted with complete faith and diligence) that at a certain point, it makes sense why one idea begets a bizarre action; you simply believe, and it is so. The author argues that the idea of mythorealism isn't a "because of this, that" but something more akin to an unspoken radical acceptance of the nature of things, one that makes little sense if analyzed circumstantially.
"Mythorealism, meanwhile, captures a hidden internal logic contained in china's reality. It explodes reality, such that contemporary China's absurdity, chaos, and disorder- together with non-reaslism and illogicality- all become easily comprehensible."
As a great fan of magical realism, I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a new spin on a well loved method of storytelling. Even more so, I recommend this as a necessary new piece of Chinese literature that presents a groundbreaking style which cannot be ignored.
paramrb's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
dumpling8tang's review against another edition
4.0
California Zephyr 上读完的第一本书。被安利了阎连科，推荐了这本炸裂志，中国版[b:百年孤独|12286254|百年孤独|Gabriel García Márquez|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1461248603l/12286254._SX50_.jpg|3295655]。在读完这本书两个月以后写下了这个review。
一开始就很惊艳于这本书完完全全是按照“志”来写，完整的记录之外，世界观很强，包括了一开始的主笔说和编纂委员会名单，以及结尾的主笔导言。我没读过百年孤独，被传说中的复杂人物关系和相同的名字拦在门外。但这本书情节依然魔幻，背景放在了中国也让我感觉十分亲切，更容易接受和理解。
前半部分确实刺激，会推荐！
一开始就很惊艳于这本书完完全全是按照“志”来写，完整的记录之外，世界观很强，包括了一开始的主笔说和编纂委员会名单，以及结尾的主笔导言。我没读过百年孤独，被传说中的复杂人物关系和相同的名字拦在门外。但这本书情节依然魔幻，背景放在了中国也让我感觉十分亲切，更容易接受和理解。
前半部分确实刺激，会推荐！
grauspitz's review against another edition
3.0
3.5
I have mixed feelings about this book. On one hand it's a satire about China's urban development that's masterfully done. But in the other hand, because it was satirical I felt that the characters lacked any real depth, even if they were interesting to follow. And as good as it was in the end, it did drag on at points.
Despite the negatives I've given, it's still a book that I would definitely recommend.
I have mixed feelings about this book. On one hand it's a satire about China's urban development that's masterfully done. But in the other hand, because it was satirical I felt that the characters lacked any real depth, even if they were interesting to follow. And as good as it was in the end, it did drag on at points.
Despite the negatives I've given, it's still a book that I would definitely recommend.
ladyonequestion's review against another edition
4.0
A strange, satirical, funny, difficult but rewarding novel chronicling the growth of a tiny village into a megalopolis within the span of fifty years. This is accomplished by scheming, theft and prostition carried out by the Kong family and their associates. The narrative is not that difficult to follow but the author uses allegory and magic realism liberally. I would really like to know more about the satirical elements of how he was using the allegory to express his fears about the growth of modern China as I am not that knowledgeable either about China or Chinese literature. I did, however, think that this was a worthwhile, highly thought provoking novel.
mibramowitz's review against another edition
4.0
This book is microcosmic, magically realistic, and hyperbolic to an extreme. The author really managed to sum up how he felt about China's urban development by writing about a village-turned-city and a family, meant to represent those who would become China's upper crust.
grahamiam's review against another edition
4.0
I interviewed the translator about this book, here: http://blog.pshares.org/index.php/translating-chinas-modern-history-an-interview-with-carlos-rojas/
This was really, really good - I'm surprised how low its rating is here. I think it's interesting how, based on his author's note, he set out to write China's magical realism. I hate how everything alien gets compared to Hundred Years but in this case I think the connection is direct, strong, and the author himself draws a comparison in the author's note.
The dialogue is a little weird - lots of repetition and unusual line breaks and ellipses. Looking forward to asking the translator about this.
This was really, really good - I'm surprised how low its rating is here. I think it's interesting how, based on his author's note, he set out to write China's magical realism. I hate how everything alien gets compared to Hundred Years but in this case I think the connection is direct, strong, and the author himself draws a comparison in the author's note.
The dialogue is a little weird - lots of repetition and unusual line breaks and ellipses. Looking forward to asking the translator about this.
rmtbray's review against another edition
challenging
dark
slow-paced
2.0
Sprawling family / community novels are hard to write at the best of times (IMO), and whilst I liked the idea of Yan using the historic model of local chronicles, in reality I don't think it really worked. I don't have a problem with unlikeable characters (as they all are), but characters seeming to have no motivation behind their actions means that their horrible actions aren't even remotely understandable. The magical realism seems to at times be standing in for a simple explanation of what may be going on in a character's head, but it didn't work for me.
I don't this my disconnection with this book is entirely the book's fault - not having read any of Yan's earlier work I perhaps didn't have the background that would've helped me to enjoy it. Perhaps something I'll revisit in the future.
Thanks to net galley for the chance to read and honestly review this.
I don't this my disconnection with this book is entirely the book's fault - not having read any of Yan's earlier work I perhaps didn't have the background that would've helped me to enjoy it. Perhaps something I'll revisit in the future.
Thanks to net galley for the chance to read and honestly review this.