{"id":41910,"date":"2017-03-07T10:26:39","date_gmt":"2017-03-07T15:26:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/apa.si.edu\/bookdragon\/?p=41910"},"modified":"2017-03-06T13:31:50","modified_gmt":"2017-03-06T18:31:50","slug":"frontier-can-xue-translated-karen-gernant-chen-zeping-booklist","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/apa.si.edu\/bookdragon\/frontier-can-xue-translated-karen-gernant-chen-zeping-booklist\/","title":{"rendered":"Frontier by Can Xue, translated by Karen Gernant and Chen Zeping [in Booklist]"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"\u201cIt will be interesting what people make of this one,\u201d novelist-essayist Porochista Khakpour (The Last Illusion<\/em>, 2014) reveals in her introduction, something she admiringly says about every Can Xue (The Last Lover<\/em>, 2014) title. \u201cCan Xue,\u201d Khakpour explains, is both pseudonymous disguise and \u201csynonymous with Chinese experimental literature.\u201d<\/p>\n

Frontier<\/em> is another enigma, moving readers into Pebble Town, a destination without geographical equivalent, anchored by the Construction Design Institute, a refuge for some, more labyrinth for others. Newly arrived Jos\u00e9 and Nancy soon give birth to a baby girl, dubbed \u201cDaughter of the Frontier.\u201d Liujin becomes the novel\u2019s central character, and her interactions with townies \u2013 including janitor Qiming, hospital worker Haizai, and displaced African native Ying \u2013 loosely converge into a narrative about a morphing, reinventing community.<\/p>\n

Purists may find translators Gernant and Chen\u2019s decision, albeit with the author\u2019s permission, to anglicize some of the Chinese names disconcerting. Audiences in search of a linear story will find that identifiable time, place, and action aren\u2019t imperative here. What lingers and beckons is a sense of inquisitive disorientation, which proves both unsettling and rewarding.<\/p>\n

Review<\/strong>: “Fiction,” Booklist Online<\/em>, March 3, 2017<\/a><\/p>\n

Readers<\/strong>: Adult<\/p>\n

Published<\/strong>: 2008 (China), 2017 (United States)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cIt will be interesting what people make of this one,\u201d novelist-essayist Porochista Khakpour (The Last Illusion, 2014) reveals in her introduction, something she admiringly says about every Can Xue (The Last Lover, 2014) title. \u201cCan Xue,\u201d Khakpour explains, is both pseudonymous disguise and \u201csynonymous with…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":41813,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,67,6,6535,66],"tags":[83,6608,6668,7249,7252,10,11,7248,25,7251,129,39,7250],"class_list":["post-41910","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-adult-readers","category-chinese","category-fiction","category-repost","category-translation","tag-assimilation","tag-bookdragon","tag-booklist","tag-can-xue","tag-chen-zeping","tag-family","tag-friendship","tag-frontier","tag-immigration","tag-karen-gernant","tag-mother-daughter-relationship","tag-parent-child-relationship","tag-porochista-khakpour"],"yoast_head":"\nFrontier by Can Xue, translated by Karen Gernant and Chen Zeping [in Booklist] - 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