Author:Su Tong,Howard Goldblatt
Yongshan is taking her son back to Licheng to visit relatives, and to see the town where she grew up. But when they get there, all she could find were desolate houses. Even the people on the street seemed not to recognise her. But then, in the rubble of her old neighbourhood, Yongshan finds something to grab hold of - a memento of the past.
Part of the Storycuts series, this short story was previously published in the collection Madwoman on the Bridge.
Shukman emerges from the shadows of swaying palm trees and his literary forebears, and produces something both authentic and exhilaratingly his own
—— Sunday TimesHe's superb, like Conrad on speed
—— Giles Foden , Conde Nast TravellerSharp and scrupulous-[Shukman] maintains a masterly tension and control
—— Daily TelegraphShukman's prose is utterly seductive
—— Literary ReviewPacy, pithy and full of wonderful, (often humorous) moments
—— ScotsmanSpine-chilling twists and turns - Graham Greene eat your heart out
—— TatlerDarien Dogs is a bullishly confident and vivacious collection
—— Time OutBeautifully paced and pitched
—— IndependentThese stories are shored up with sentences and paragraphs that demand immediate re-reading for their cleverness and warmth…This party is well worth attending
—— IndependentThis collection shows a writer quietly growing in style, perception and grace. She conveys to the reader that rare ability to see completely into someone else’s head
—— SpectatorAccomplished ... confident
—— Sunday TimesThe ghost of Katherine Mansfield hovers lightly over these deceptively delicate snapshots which zero in on the much maligned territory of the domestic and make it new and vital again
—— Metro