Su Tong's novel Rice, translated effectively by Howard Goldblatt, is a riveting read with unforgettable scenes of cruelty. The author peoples the book with vivid characters caught in a struggle for survival within a family that is of the take-no-prisoners variety. The plot revolves around a poor country boy, Five Dragons, seeking his fortune in the big city and eventually being taken in by the wealthy Feng family who run a rice emporium. The narrative is layered with themes of hunger, power, and revenge, serving as a symbol for the turning point in Chinese history before the Communist takeover. The story unfolds in a bleak nest of vipers family saga in southern China during the early 20th century, where the characters are bitter, hate-filled, and cruel, leading to the self-destructive downfall of the Feng clan.

In contrast, another reader found the representation of rice as an aphrodisiac and instrument of sexual torture to be fetishistic rather than cultural or historical. The book was critiqued for lacking a wider discussion on the topic, with a focus on one character's fixation on rice stuffing without much exploration of its deeper significance or motivations.

Characters:

The characters are deeply flawed, cruel individuals whose actions reflect the darker aspects of human nature in a harsh historical context.

Writing/Prose:

The writing style is direct and concise, effectively conveying the harshness of the narrative, although it may lack depth in character exploration.

Plot/Storyline:

The plot revolves around a series of brutal and unforgiving events involving characters who are deeply flawed, trapped in a cycle of despair and moral corruption.

Setting:

The setting of pre-war China adds a layer of complexity to the narrative, highlighting the harsh socio-economic conditions.

Pacing:

The pacing is deliberate and spans a long timeframe, yet it often feels monotonous due to the consistent bleakness.

Notes:

The novel Rice by Su Tong is a blend of Chinese History, Neorealism, and Noir.

It tells the story of Five Dragons, a starving refugee from rural China seeking fortune in the big city.

The story is set in 1930s China, before the Japanese invasion, portraying a brutal and hostile environment.

Five Dragons ends up working at The Great Swan Rice Emporium owned by the Feng family, who disdainfully take him in.

The character Cloud Weave becomes pregnant, and there's confusion over the child's paternity, involving a wealthy extortionist known as Sixth Master.

The book paints a dark picture, with no redeemable characters; everyone is cruel and selfish.

Themes of hunger for rice, sex, and revenge permeate the narrative, reflecting broader societal issues of the time.

The prose is described as short and clean, though critics find the characters shallow and uninteresting.

Overall, the book is compelling in its brutality but leaves readers feeling uncomfortable and disillusioned with humanity.

Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings

There are numerous triggers including abuse, violence, sexual assault, and themes of degradation.

From The Publisher:

Set in famine-stricken 1930s China, Rice chronicles the complete debasement of a city family after it takes in a young man named Five Dragons, a starving wanderer from the provinces whose desire for power and sex is insatiable. In this mesmerizing novel, Su Tong, China's most provocative young writer, explores the connections between hunger, sexuality, and brutality. Rice is used as food and currency, as an aphrodisiac and an implement of sexual torture, as a weapon for murder and a symbol of everything good. Lush and sensual, combining a strange comedy with a dark undercurrent of violence, and written in hypnotically beautiful prose, Rice is a novel of startling richness and furious creative energy.

What can you read after
Rice?

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Rice

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What can you read after Rice?

What can you read after
Rice?