I picked up this book for a couple of reasons. One, I really enjoy short story collections. Two, I read a short blurb about this book about that described it as spanning the space between magical realism and fantasy which totally piqued my interest. It was available as an audiobook from my local library, so I checked it out. Typically when I read a collection of short stories, I like to review the collection as a whole as well as give a brief review of each story individually. With this collection, I can’t do that. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not because I didn’t listen to each story nor is it because I didn’t enjoy the book. I did. This collection is just so wonderfully weird.
K-Ming Chang seems to not care about employing too much metaphor, hyperbole, or magical imagery in this collection. In nearly every story, it is difficult to decipher if Chang is using very evocative and metaphorical language to describe what is going on, or if there are truly elements of fantasy in these stories. I think that is what the blurb was getting at. I was constantly asking myself, is this really happening, or is this beautiful exaggeration?
Chang does not hold back on anything. This collection is very queer, very Chinese, and very surreal. I am struggling to find the right words to fully capture how unique this collection is. Your best bet is just pick up and give it a try. You won’t regret it.