Modern Chinese Literature from Taiwan Running Mother and Other Stories, (Hardcover)

Publishers Weekly,This compilation of six short stories from the late Taiwanese novelist Guo (1938-2005) is a quiet meditation on overarching themes in Taiwan's history told through its troubled citizens. "Moon Seal" follows new bride Wenhui and her ailing groom, Tiemin, who suffers from tuberculosis. In Taipei after the war, Wenhui becomes more nurse than spouse to her ailing husband, and finds herself struggling to cope after he regains his health. In "Wailing Moon," a widow visits a funeral parlor at midnight to sit at the side of her newly deceased husband and interrogate their past together, desperately hoping for answers before his body is taken away. "Running Mother" concerns a middle-aged man who, overwhelmed by recurring dreams of his unpredictable mother, attempts to decipher his complicated maternal issues with the help of his old friend, a psychiatrist. Though each story is translated by a different writer, Guo's compassion, insight and understated style shine through, tying his characters' lives to the contemporary cultural questions with grace and skill. (Jan.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved,Publishers Weekly,Publishers Weekly,This compilation of six short stories from the late Taiwanese novelist Guo (1938-2005) is a quiet meditation on overarching themes in Taiwan's history told through its troubled citizens. "Moon Seal" follows new bride Wenhui and her ailing groom, Tiemin, who suffers from tuberculosis. In Taipei after the war, Wenhui becomes more nurse than spouse to her ailing husband, and finds herself struggling to cope after he regains his health. In "Wailing Moon," a widow visits a funeral parlor at midnight to sit at the side of her newly deceased husband and interrogate their past together, desperately hoping for answers before his body is taken away. "Running Mother" concerns a middle-aged man who, overwhelmed by recurring dreams of his unpredictable mother, attempts to decipher his complicated maternal issues with the help of his old friend, a psychiatrist. Though each story is translated by a different writer, Guo's compassion, insight and understated style shine through, tying his characters' lives to the contemporary cultural questions with grace and skill. (Jan.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved