written by Yan Ge, Book 57 of 2021
“The more resilient life is, the more you want to destroy it.”
Yan Ge, “Strange Beasts of China”
I did not want to stop listening to this book, and I was listening to it on vacation so that means something. The unnamed narrator is a strangely likable loner with a few very dysfunctional relationships, who (literally) stumbles her way through improbable interactions with “beasts” of all kinds. Felt a bit like a stranger, darker version of Harry Potter if it had been set in China with a disoriented adult woman as its center. I’m not going to lie, I’m not sure I totally understood what was going on at times but I enjoyed it all the same. The stories can be quite dark, so I probably would only recommend this for mature readers and listeners.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ALC.
Recommended for: those looking for something truly unusual.
Content Warnings: Violence, Suicide, Death, Alcohol/Drug Use/Abuse, Family Separation