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A review by grayjay
Five Spice Street by Can Xue
3.0
The mysterious Madam X! How old is she really? This avant-garde novel is stitched together from the collective consciousness of the residents of Five Spice Street and their suppositions about Madam X. What is she up to? What could she be doing at night with all those mirrors? Are there occult practices at work or is she just playing mind games? I was greatly impressed with Xue's ability to make me feel like a village gossip.
As the villagers of Five Spice Street investigate the doings of Madam X, the reveal more about themselves, and call into question their own ideas about gender relations, sex, and politics.
Xue's style is decidedly eccentric. As her narrator explains in the book itself, "We couldn't objectively narrate this in a routine way: Traditional styles wouldn't work; we had to innovate."
As the villagers of Five Spice Street investigate the doings of Madam X, the reveal more about themselves, and call into question their own ideas about gender relations, sex, and politics.
Xue's style is decidedly eccentric. As her narrator explains in the book itself, "We couldn't objectively narrate this in a routine way: Traditional styles wouldn't work; we had to innovate."