Te-Ping Chen’s collection of short stories, Land of Big Numbers, is such a delight! Each story about various contemporary Chinese experiences is beautifully written with plots and characters that develop quickly.
The collection starts off strong with Lulu, a story that appeared in The new Yorker last year, about twins whose lives evolve in very different directions. A standout for me was New Fruit, about a mysterious fruit that gives people feelings of euphoria, happiness, nostalgia, and optimism. Until it doesn’t... I found myself thinking about this story several times throughout the past week.
Every story, but especially On the Street Where You Live, Field Notes on a Marriage, Gubeikou Spirit, and Hotline Girl, gave me distinct feelings of unease- the kind where you fly through the pages to reach some sort of closure. The kind of unease that isn’t at all uncomfortable, but rather exciting. Each story in Land of Big Numbers could have been expanded into its own full-length book but was perfect in its own right as a glimpse, a vignette.
Readers, take note: this one is definitely worth picking up on 2/2/21!
The collection starts off strong with Lulu, a story that appeared in The new Yorker last year, about twins whose lives evolve in very different directions. A standout for me was New Fruit, about a mysterious fruit that gives people feelings of euphoria, happiness, nostalgia, and optimism. Until it doesn’t... I found myself thinking about this story several times throughout the past week.
Every story, but especially On the Street Where You Live, Field Notes on a Marriage, Gubeikou Spirit, and Hotline Girl, gave me distinct feelings of unease- the kind where you fly through the pages to reach some sort of closure. The kind of unease that isn’t at all uncomfortable, but rather exciting. Each story in Land of Big Numbers could have been expanded into its own full-length book but was perfect in its own right as a glimpse, a vignette.
Readers, take note: this one is definitely worth picking up on 2/2/21!