Waiting: A Novel

The author, Ha Jin (Xuefei Jin) left China in 1985. Illiterate until his mid-teens, he presently teachs English at Emory University and has published two books of poetry, two collections of short stories, and two novels."Waiting" is a simple fairy tale, a story in which much is being said underneath its surface. Based on an old ancient Chinese folktale (or a true story as defined by the author in an interview), Ha Jin recreates and sets the plot in a moder post-revolutionary China. There is a two-fold approach: the universal, in which Ha Jin deals with human nature, its virtues and frailties, the issues of loyalty, duty, friendship, betrayal, and love; and the strictly Chinese, the social/political system. Although the characters are not politically oriented and the plot evolves indifferent to the chaotic world outside the insular setting, there is a clear political allegory and ideological irony (the book has been banned in China). All the characters are directly or indirectly victims of a social/political system, of a collective society where the individual can never exist or act "per se."The plot is a love triangle: Lin Kong, a Chinese physician, loyal officer of the Revolutionary Army, entangled in a loveless pre-arranged marriage, for 18 years desperately seeking a divorce; his wife, Shuyu, an illeterate village girl, bound feet, subservient, and with a moral superiority which the author does not explore; Manna Wu, a modern woman, hospital nurse, in love with Lin Kong. Lin Kong personifies the sleepwalker, a man who is pushed and pulled by others' opinions, by external pressures, and by internalized official rules. A fourth character (Gen Yang), although secondary, is the anti-thesis of Lin, being opportunistic and ruthless he holds to the belief that "character is fate," he defies and uses the system in his favor, and gets away with what he wishes.The prose is concise, clear, with beautiful lyrical passages and imagery. It portrays a life perspective different from Western society, a reality much un-known outside China and sometimes difficult for the outsider to understand. It will much depend on the reader's sensitivity and cultural openness to get the most out of this novel.

I believe I can understand the negative comments this book has received, but I do not agree with them. Having several Asian friends, I was fascinated by the glimpse into Chinese culture--not only the political landscape, but family relations. I think people may be expecting something more grandiose from this book since it is an award winner. Rather, this book is like its main character, subtle. The narrative is straight forward, and the story is literally about "waiting," waiting for a period in your life to begin. I think what this book gives us, besides a wonderful peek into Chinese society, is a lesson to find what we love in life and revel in it. This is not a book to "polish off quickly." Rather it is one to read and think about each word, and the way those words are presented. I loved it. I finished the book several weeks ago, and I still think of Lin, and wonder if he will ever really know happiness.

What many of the reviewers of this book seem to be missing about this work by Ha Jin is its allegorical nature, that draws more than one reminder in this reader's mind to Orwell's "Animal Farm." Yes, it is written in a simple manner both in style and in plot. Some would call this the story's strength and others, it's weakness. One thing is clear, however. The narrative that Ha has crafted is not simply one about lovers who through the constraints of their cultural and political situation cannot consummate their relationship. It is not simply about not being satisfied with what we have and waiting for what we want while life passes us by. Put simply, to classify this a love story is to do this work a disservice.On a symbolic level, Ha is telling us the story of the China of the 20th century and the struggle of its people to come to terms with the convulsive transitions (e.g. Great Leap Forward, Cultural Revolution) that this nation has experienced over the past 100 years. To say that China is a land of complexities and contradictions is a vast understatement. One of the most basic dilemmas of the last century has been the struggle between old China, the land of emperors, Confucius, and bound feet, and new China, industrial and economic man-child, forcing its way into the modern world. This is the conflict around which this story unfolds. Every character is a symbolic representation of larger belief systems, ideas, and positions in modern Chinese society. In this context, it is not difficult to guess what Shuyu and Manna represent. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, because of the poignant statement it makes about the state of China, a land that, as a Chinese-American whose family has lived abroad for 50 years, I have a profound need to connect with. I recommend it wholeheartedly.

"Waiting" shows the truth in the maxim that life is what happens when we wait for life to begin. Set in industrial Northeast China in the years before, during and just after the Cultural Revolution, the book is not overtly about politics, but rather about how individuals try to find their bit of happiness within the constraints imposed by society and character. On another level, the ambivalence the protagonist feels toward his traditional wife in the village, and the woman he loves in the city, is a proxy for China's own transition from a traditional culture to a modern, communist state -- which itself becomes weary and exhausted as the world changes around it. Ha Jin has a wonderful touch with evocative details, and brings to life a time and place that is already slipping into history.

Reading this book one is reminded of the old Hemingway saw about how fiction should only give away the tip of the iceberg. The graceful, simple prose of this book reveals just the smallest portion of the complex emotional and politcal currents that run beneath this story. This is the kind of book that, once you have finished, you cannot get out of your head. The book jacket calls Ha Jin a "sturdy realist," but that's not really right; his prose has much more in common with a modernist minimalism. A must read for anyone who thinks that fiction writing in America is moribund.