A very interesting novel, one that can easily be read in one sitting. Xiaolu Guo uses interviews with the members of the village of Silver Hill to tell her story, giving you peripheral vision of the story itself. I was not keen on the idea behind this and didn't see how the technique could be maintained throughout. However, it works, and the style itself is perhaps a comment on the voice of the population of Silver Hill, that it is only vocalised through others, and that it has been reduced to a piece of paper locked away in a file in the basement of some nondescript government building. There is certainly the implication that these people don't matter enough to speak for themselves.
I am making this sound far too depressing, but in many ways this is a sad tale and should be treated as such at the right points. But there is light at the end of the tunnel, a blossoming romance dispels some of the sadness and the warm, yet dark, humour with which the novel is told overshadows some of the misery. There is some brilliant wit injected into the words of the villagers, and the progress of the plain Kwok Yun as a character is just delightful. Kwok Yun is the lucky character that originally spots the UFO and is thought of by her peers as an unintelligent woman with no chance of marriage, yet sometimes she seems like the most intelligent one of the lot. Kwok's simplicity and innocence draws the reader in, it allows her story to perhaps be the little glimmer of hope, as she finds love and moves on from Silver Hill.Now, that darn UFO. This is the catalyst that pulls Silver Hill into the abyss and as such is an easy metaphor to identify. This is an invasion, not of the alien variety, but of the modern life mentality. Chief Chang's plans to change her village into a place for visitors begins with the sighting of the UFO, the phone calls start and she decides to plan a new future for her and the people of the village. This future is one that sees nearly every villager lose their place. Supermarkets, apartment blocks and tarmac take over and the beauty and tradition of rural China dwindles. What is so sad about this is that the Chief forgets the needs of her people even if she sees the changes as being positive to their wealth and their place in the world. She has their best interests at heart but never actually consults with them. The talk of Mao might imply that this is in some way the role the Chief assumes, one that is steeped in a desire to be better without considering consequence.
I am not the most knowledgeable person concerning China's modern history, but this novel certainly made me think about it and perhaps with a bit more context on my behalf I would have gotten a bit more enjoyment out of it. That said, this was a good read, just the right amount of quirky and clever to keep you reading through to the end. Worth reading if you want to try something a little different and especially worth reading if you know more about China's history than I do!
