Braised Pork in Bejing with An Hu
Tuck into Braised Pork, novel set in Bejing and Tibet
Braised Pork in Bejing with An Hu – The novel Braised Pork looks at what happens when a woman finds her husband dead in the bath. She flees to Tibet after finding a drawing he has done and wanting to find out more about its origin and what it might mean. This is a unique story, which takes you on a journey of many kinds. A quiet song of a novel and one to think about long after you’ve read…
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Setting: A city contrasted with a very remote mountain location
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This was more like a dream like experience than a novel. What I mean is that it all takes place in your head as you read and the words and ideas feel almost ethereal.
IT starts off very sad when a woman discovers her husband dead in the bath. It’s not clear how he died but before I could think about that, the strange picture beside him caught my eye – it’s a picture of a fish-man kind of figure. The woman wants to know what this means and so starts off on a journey of discovery in more ways than one.
Ok, so that’s a strange start and premise for a book, but how I was captivated into reading it. The setting had a lot to do with it of course as both Bejing and Tibet are highly evocative places and are brought to life from the page. This is quite a short book but it’s packed full of imagery and memories, discoveries and travel.The night life in Bejing packs a punch and contrasted with the quiet contemplative calm of the Tibetan plains, this is a book which takes you on quite a journey!
(c) An Yu
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As you read, you find out about the woman and her husband’s life together and some of the writing reads as if it’s in though bubbles above her head. You find out so much more than you thought and even contemplated as you read. This was clever as it mirrored the woman and her own mindful journey well.
As for the title, I was intrigued to find out how the title would match the story. It’s a meal she shared with her father and it was her favourite food. That one symbol makes so much clear as you read the novel and finish it, metaphorical knife and fork on the literary plate.
There is a strong presence of water in the novel and the imagery around it is strong.There’s perhaps a few too many references to it as it starts to creep into many aspects of the story. However, the overall story is strong with its dreamlike quality and the deep meaning of that pork dish.
Tuck in!
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More books set in China
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Twitter: The author is not on social media
