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From the Franz Kafka Prizeâwinning author of Leninâs Kiss, a âstupendous and unforgettableâ novel of Maoâs China (The Times, London). Â In the ninety-ninth district of a re-education compound, freethinking artists and academics are detained to strengthen their loyalty to Communist ideologies. Here, the Musician and her lover, the Scholar, along with the Author and the Theologian, are subjected to grinding physical labor. They are also encouraged to inform on each otherâs dissident behaviorâfor the prize of a chance at freedom. Â Their preadolescent supervisor, the Child, delights in reward systems and excessive punishments. But when agricultural and industrial production quotas are raised to an unattainable level, the ninety-ninth district dissolves into lawlessness. As inclement weather and famine set in, the people are abandoned by the regime and left alone to survive. Â Set inside a labor camp during Maoâs Great Leap Forward, Booklist calls The Four Books a ârich and complex novel,â from âChinaâs most heralded and censored modern writerâ (The South China Morning Post). |
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