I first heard of Mo Yan last year, when he won the Nobel Prize in Literature 2012. During an excursion to the bookstore, his name caught my eye, and I bought the book.
The year is 1987, China is still recovering from the Cultural Revolution, and people are struggling to make meaning of their lives. What happens when a fixed economy fails. When promises to the people are broken. What happens when people decide they have nothing left to lose. When they decide that they are worth more as lifeless bodies.
All in all, a heart-wrenching, gory, and eye-opening portrayal of China in the 1980s.
Definitely worthy of the Nobel Prize in literature.
Along Life's Path 