The Bridegroom by Ha Jin

 

This collection of twelve stories portray life in modern China.  I had two favorites of this anthology.  In The Bridegroom, a factory supervisor can't understand why the most handsome worker in the factory asks to marry his daughter, who although pleasant, is not attractive and whom he expected to have a hard time finding a husband for.  He learns the truth when his new son-in-law is arrested for homosexuality.  The last story in the collection is After Cowboy Chicken Came To Town.  In this story, an American chain restaurant opens a branch in China.  At first it is an amazing hit but it is a novelty and the chicken is not as good as what the street vendors serve plus it is expensive.  Soon only the young, trendy customers continue to come.  The workers there try to use the rules of Chinese society in their work but are constantly overruled by their American boss.  The workers are appalled when they discover the discrepancy between their salaries and that of the manager and are determined to take him down.  

Ha Jin is the pen name of Xuefei Jin.  He was born and raised in China, serving five years in the Red Army during the Cultural Revolution.  His book about that time, was awarded the National Book Award.  His novels and short stories portray China after the Revolution.  I was impressed with two things.  First, while I enjoyed the stories, each ended what seemed a strange ending, just abruptly ending with one sentence.  The second thing was the China he portrays, where every thought and sentence can be grounds for trouble and where everyday life is still controlled in many ways by the government and its agents.  Everyone is constantly on guard and trust few around them to know their true thoughts.  This book is recommended for multicultural and anthology readers.