Zhu's quirky rogue's gallery is both entertaining and revealing, as murderers ('The Football Fan') and apostates (all the rest) illuminate the volatile period that preceded contemporary China's espousal of capitalist enterprise-if not democratic reform. Publishers Weekly Zhu Wen's plotting is brilliant, and his writing is cinematic and evocative. These eight stories are both funny and complex, and offer a true ... Read moreinsight into the life of the modern Chinese.
Tom Zelman Star Tribune This collection of dark tales by Zhu Wen offers an unflinching social commentary on post-communist China, though it could as easily be read as that of universal human nature.
Su Hsing Loh Asian Review of Books A fascinating, often bleakly amusing, snapshot of China's urban anomie.
Sam Sacks The Wall Street Journal A solid, well-written collection... [that] certainly offers some interesting glimpses of life in modern China. Worthwhile.
M.A.Orthofer The Complete Review Sly humor... suffuses these stories, which, unlike some of the lives [Zhu Wen] describes, are never dreary.
Alison McCulloch The New York Times Book Review [The Matchmaker, the Apprentice, and the Football Fan] will appeal to readers looking for a more vivid, more human picture of modern China... Funny and inventive.
David Wolf Prospect Compelling and entertaining.
Jeffrey Wasserstrom Los Angeles Review of Books A hilarious, touchingly candid look at modern urban China.
Farisa Khalid PopMatters Zhu Wen offers a quick, observant account of contemporary Chinese society. World Literature Today Show Less