Description
Book SynopsisIn Taiwanese writer Lo Yi-Chin’s Faraway, a fictionalized version of the author finds himself stranded in mainland China attempting to bring his comatose father home. Lo offers a deft portrayal of the rift between China and Taiwan through an intimate view of a father-son relationship that bridges this divide.
Trade ReviewLo’s language, beautifully translated by Jeremy Tiang, is a life raft in the chaos, images burned in the mind . . . * New York Times Book Review *
Lo is a clever, resourceful writer. He finds humor in his [narrator's] struggles with mainland customs and red tape while tapping into a rich vein of memories and emotions stirred when history or crisis makes the challenges of family life even gnarlier. Thematically rich and intriguing. * Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review *
[Lo] is a superb writer. * The Modern Novel *
Situated somewhere between autofiction and cultural criticism (think Ali Smith’s
Artful),
Faraway doesn’t lack for massive subjects to tackle. Within its pages, you’ll find everything from the weight of history to the anxiety of parenthood, along with a wholly immersive and frequently nightmarish account of medical treatment gone awry. The result is unpredictable and often gripping. * Words Without Borders *
Faraway is a work of deep introspection and sometimes overflowing imagery, a meditation on ageing and family, a memoir or novel of the wearing forces of illness, duty and bureaucracy. * South China Morning Post Magazine *
Faraway is a wonderful novel of the personal and the national, by a man examining his roles as a writer, a son and a father. * Tony's Reading List *
Lo Yi-Chin is the most remarkable and creative writer Taiwan has produced in recent decades, and what's more, he is the most inventive writer in the entire Chinese-speaking world. -- David Der-wei Wang, author of
Why Fiction Matters in Contemporary ChinaA poignant, beautiful work by an important author,
Faraway: A Novel should be on every bookshelf. Jeremy Tiang's subtle and sensitive translation brings a level of transparency to the text that allows you to immerse fully in its world. The novel will resonate long after you’ve put it down. -- Ari Larissa Heinrich, translator of Qiu Miaojin’s
Last Words from Montmartre and Chi Ta-wei’s
The MembranesAs Lo Yi-Chin narrates and contemplates three generations of often strained relationships with places and people now and then, here and there, on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, Jeremy Tiang makes a monumentally challenging task look easy in a translation that is accurate and affecting, on point and poignant. -- Darryl Sterk, translator of Wu Ming-Yi's
The Stolen BicycleA very dense narrative, a paper river overflowing with a tremendous number of tedious details upon the waves of which glitter sudden bursts of simple and breathtaking literary beauty, confidently and delicately translated by Tiang...Rather than spelling out the emotional responses of the main characters, the narrative expresses the feelings of abandonment, meaninglessness, and Kafkaesque bewilderment through painstakingly detailed accounts of everyday consumption and bureaucracy. -- Astrid Møller-Olsen * Xiaoshuo Blog *
Table of ContentsFarawayAfterword
Translator’s Note
