is out of favor with the Party, Hes in danger of losing his job as Chief Inspector, Hes having eerie dreams and gruesome nightmares, The story alternates between his angst filled present and his traumatic past, We get a chilling picture of the suffering of intellectuals and other “class enemies” during the Cultural Revolution, As a a teenager, Chen saw his parents denounced and humiliate, Then we follow Chens fortunes in the new political climate, In his earliest days in the police bureau the young Chen identifies a murder victim and solves the crime, This story is a little jewel of crime detection, But its only one story, The novel is a medley of stories that all evolve in surprising ways amidst changes in fortune, reversals of destiny, and turnabouts in political thinking.
The episodic style can be confusing at times, The narrative is peppered with Confucian maxims, Tang poetry, Chinese proverbs, lines from the Tao Te Ching and the authors poetic metaphors, This is always delightful. The casual mentions of Chinese cuisine are also fun, Chen is a gourmet who loves exotic food, So are several characters. They indulge in hot stinky tofu, drunken shrimp still twitching when consumed, camel mound and many other dubious delicacies, Thankfully, Chen never stoops to eating bats, Becoming Inspector Chen is anything but a conventional crime novel, though its dense with crimes personal and political, It may not be as wonderful as Qiu Xiaolongs earliest novels, but its enjoyable, Unglaublich authentische Beschreibung des Systems in China gepaart mit mit einer sensationellen Leichtigkeit der Sprache, Genialer Spannungsaufbau bis zum Schluss und gleichzeitig so liebenswerte Beschreibung von Beziehungen, Freude und Leid, natürlich immer mit tollen Not sure
why this title has appeared near the end of the series so far.
OK as an introduction to Chen but why now All very confusing and not up to earlier titles, Feels like author has writers' block and publishing deadline, So put together a mishmash of pieces from notebooks, Much is recycled from former books, I am so sad. Within a dream like state Chen Cao reviews his life, which means that those of us who have read all the books up to now get some background fill "Oh! So THAT's how he met her!" and for newbies it gives a rather confusing but valuable intro to the series.
There are also fragments of stories that give a preview of up coming tales, From beginning to the present the tales are set against the background of politics in China, with hints of life under Mao, then Deng, to the current situation.
Note: Before I went to live in Shanghai for a semester I started the series, and they were an excellent guide for a new traveler to the city have your map with you as you read.
I very much like the Inspector Chen books, This one is good, but still somewhat disappointing, Its jumps back and forth, with a little conclusion reached, Notably the main story running like a red thread through the book, abruptly ends without a final scene, Although I share the authors political views, it is somewhat disappointing that you get the impression that he is letting politics trump the writing of a good story.
Of course, politics trumping everything its probably a correct reflection of China at this time, Inspector Chen is excluded from a poetry case as he awaits possible disciplinary action, leaving him to reflect on his career, but does his past hold a clue to the poetry case
After a number of grueling cases Chief Inspector Chen is facing mounting pressure from his superiors, many of whom are concerned with where his loyalties lie.
Whats , he is excluded from an investigation into an incendiary poem posted on an online forum,
Wracked with self doubt and facing an anxious wait to discover the fate of his career, Chen is left to reflect on the events that have led to where he is now from his amateur investigations as a child during the Cultural Revolution, to his very first case on the Shanghai Police Force.
Has fighting for the Chinese people and the morals he believes in put him in conflict with the Party Why is he being kept away from the new case As well as his career, is his life now also at risk.