The Banquet Bug - Hardcover

Yan, Geling

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1401366651 ISBN 13: 9781401366650

Publisher: Hyperion, 2006

Synopsis

From the acclaimed author of The Lost Daughter of Happiness comes a groundbreaking novel that will introduce readers to the little-known underworlds of contemporary China

Geling Yan captivates readers once more in her breakthrough novel. This is the fantastical tale of Dan Dong, an unemployed factory worker whose life takes a series of unexpected twists after he discovers that, by posing as a journalist, he can eat exquisite gourmet meals for free at state-sponsored banquets. But the secrets he overhears at these events eventually lead Dan down a twisted, intrigue-laden path, and his subterfuge and his real identity become harder and harder to separate. When he becomes privy to a scandal that runs from the depths of society to its highest rungs, Dan must find a way to uncover the corruption--without revealing the dangerous truth about himself.

About this title

Review

"Delightful, unique...Charming characters and surprising events."

"Now in paperback, a breakthrough novel about appetites and their consequences: "Gorgeous, studded with both vivid sensory details and wry reflections on life in China... an enjoyable, highly devourable read."

"A sly comic novel about the excesses--culinary and otherwise--of modern life in the Chinese capital. Although it may seem fantastical, her fiction is rooted in fact...much of The Banquet Bug...works as farce--even as it arouses the nagging suspicion that it might not be so far-fetched after all."

"Sometimes the very first paragraph of a book will immediately grab you and hold you in thrall. In the face of such expert, engaging storytelling, the only thing to do is entrust yourself fully to the author and hope that all that is promised is delivered. The first paragraph of Geling Yan's novel The Banquet Bug is just such a paragraph...Truly lovely, filled with rich morsels of description and engaging characters."

About the Author

Geling Yan was born in Shanghai and began writing in the late 1970s as a journalist. Her first novel was published in China in 1985. Following the Tiananmen Square massacre, she left China for the United States. Since then she has written many short stories, including one that was made into the award-winning film Xiu Xiu The Sent-Down Girl. She lives in San Francisco and Africa.

About this edition

• Publisher: Hyperion
• Publication date: 2006
• ISBN 10: 1401366651
• ISBN 13: 9781401366650
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 286