This is the second time I checked it out of the local library, and this time, I finished reading it, within a week. It is surprisingly very easy to read for me, probably because Ken Liu, who moved to the US at 11 years old from China, draws heavy inspirations from the Chinese culture in some of his short stories in this collection. He is a fascinating story teller. I am particularly impressed by State Change (charming story, but why on earth didn’t she carry more ice cubes?!), Good Hunting (which I read has been adapted, deservedly, into a short film), The Literomancer (a bit too forcing on the reading of Chinese characters, but what a tragic twist of destiny!), The Paper Menagerie (the letter from the mom at the end is a bit too melodramatic but it perfectly succeeds in inducing tears to roll down my cheeks), and The Perfect Match (did I just write about the sci-fi romance film Her?)
Ken Liu possesses a very interesting background of culture and career, so I doubt if he would ever run out of inspirations for stories short or long. I cannot help comparing his work with the last book of short stories that I read: “Dear Life” by Alice Munro, and it’s very unfair to do so I admit. Liu is a very good craftsman, while Munro is an effortless artist. You read great stories, and bit of history in Liu’s words, but you see lively individuals in Munro’s stories, flesh and soul.
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