The Vagrants by Yiyun Li [in Bloomsbury Review]
Full disclosure: this is one of the most heartbreaking books you’ll probably ever read. But read it you should.
A young woman – a political victim of post-Mao China – is about to die. While her voice remains missing throughout the novel, the many residents of remote Muddy River affected by her ensuing death are vividly brought to tragic life: her suffering mother, her resigned father, a pitifully crippled 12-year-old girl, a wandering older couple who have rescued, loved, then lost seven abandoned baby girls, a privileged government news announcer, and so many more. Li’s debut novel is a brilliant, wrenching reminder of the far-reaching, inseparable consequences of even our smallest actions.
Readers: Adult
Published: 2009
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