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Title: A unique look at the virtue of patience.
Review: I was not impressed by the initial chapters of the book but, like its theme, my patience was rewarded in spades. Ha Jin's writing is simple and schoolboyish at times, not what I would expect from a prize-winning effort. However, it is quite apt for this tale of simple unambitious characters from the heartlands of China caught in the thick of the country's evolution into capitalism. It is to Ha Jin's credit that the waiting is as frustrating for the reader as it is for Manna. The beauty of the novel lies in the underlying themes of the rapid changes in China and how it eventually drives home to even a most loyal follower like Lin Kong. The final chapters where Lin Kong finally realises how he lost 17-years of his life trying to marry the woman he thought he loved and missed the growing years of his daughter, completely blind to the devotion of his duty-bound wife, is simply heartbreaking. This book is a little gem that's worth the wait.
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