Boy in the Twilight: Stories of the Hidden China

(Paperback)

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Yu Hua's populist voice and exquisite wit have made him one of the most celebrated and bestselling writers in China. These visceral, flawlessly crafted stories explore the line between cruelty and warmth on which his country is precariously balanced. In the title story, a shopkeeper confronts a child thief and punishes him without mercy. "Victory" shows a young couple shaken by the husband's infidelity, each scrambling to stake claims to the components of their shared life.Other tales show, by turns, two factory workers who spoil their only son, a gang of townsfolk who bully an innocent orphan, and a spectacular fistfight outside a refinery bathhouse. Taken together, these stories form a snapshot of a nation, lit with the deep feeling and ready humor that characterize its people. A sensation in Asia, Boy in the Twilight affirms Yu Hua's place at the very forefront of literary fiction.

Reviews

These are expertly drawn sketches of a time and a place, the people thoroughly recognizable. The Boston Globe

[Chinas] transformations and what they leave in their wake have become the central theme of Yus writing. . . . Many readers consider him Chinas greatest living author. The Huffington Post

Compelling. . . . Precise, elegant prose. The Economist

Mesmerizing tales. . . . Showcases this acclaimed writers mastery. Elle

Folktales cast in a modern-day setting. . . . [Yu] uses the soft patter of language to wash away at least some of the hardened surface, and enduring mystery, of human behavior. Time Out New York

The stories in Yu Huas Boy in the Twilight mine the lives of ordinary folks in small-town China. Vanity Fair

A Chinese writer noted for his popular realism sketches a portrait of his country through fictional vignettes of everyday life. O, the Oprah Magazine

Yus clear-eyed voice perfectly suits the lives of his characters, whose humanness we recognize, even as it makes us smile or, more often, flinch. The Plain Dealer

How much happiness should one expect How much security How much adventure What sorts of kitchen appliances, what kind of husband . . . The stories in this collection . . . deal with the treachery latent in ordinary human relationships: marriages, friendships, professional contacts, and the bonds between parents and children. . . . Huas hidden China . . . is one of regular people: not allegorical caricatures or media archetypes, but men and women struggling to sort out their lives in the early years of reform. Boston Review

Yu Hua grabs his readers attention and keeps them guessing and involved till the very end. . . . Boy in the Twilight offers an enduring testimony to the power of the short story and its ability to convey epic themes through the point of a pen. The New York Journal of Books

Yu delivers wonderful and vivid character portrayals. . . . He has exposed a darker, painful side of ordinary life in China and invited us to see things as they truly arefrightening both in their simplicity and their strength. South China Morning Post

[Yu Hua] hones his recognizable minimalist craft to comic and tragic perfection, suffusing these brutally honest, philosophical pieces with compassion and cruel twists of sucker-punching irony that take the readers breath away. Shelf Awareness (starred)

A standout collection from an international literary superstar. Kirkus Reviews
Aficionados of the short form will savor these stories as both adroit literature and a sharp cultural lens. Appreciative readers of such diverse recent collections as Emma Donoghues Astray and Yoko Ogawas Revenge will want to add this title to waiting shelves. Library Journal (starred)

Author Bio

YU HUAis the author of five novels, six story collections, and four essay collections. He has also contributed op-ed pieces toThe New York Times. His work has been translated into more than forty languages. He is the recipient of many awards, including the James Joyce Award, France's Prix Courrier International, and Italy's Premio Grinzane Cavour. He lives in Beijing.