Brothers

Written by Yu Hua

Narrated by Louis Changchien

Acclaimed novelist Yu Hua became the first Chinese author to win the distinguished James Joyce Foundation Award. Controversial in his own country for his biting satire, he creates insightful portraits of Chinese society. Step-brothers Baldy Li and Song Gang couldn't be more different. While Baldy is a girl-chasing teen, Song is quiet and studious. The two come of age in a vibrant Chinese culture struggling with constant change.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: Jun 19, 2009
• ISBN: 9781440718328

Reviews for Brothers

[reallifereading · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Yu Hua’s Brothers begins in the toilet. Yes, really.

And there, you will probably know whether you want to read this book or not. Because right from the start, your senses are assaulted with fecal matter and butts in a public toilet in Liu Town, China. Teenaged Baldy Li is the centre of the scandal, after being caught peeping at women in the public toilet. However, our young entrepreneur manages to benefit from this, as he had caught sight of the butt of the town’s beauty.

At this point, I was tempted to return this book (and how easy that would be, since this was an Overdrive e-book) but there was something about Baldy Li and his gutsy nature that made me curious. And then there is his brother (stepbrother, really, not even related by blood at all) Song Gang, a very different kind of boy, quiet, obedient, earnest, the kind who doesn’t quite make a story. But in this case, he is the brother of Baldy Li, who becomes Liu Town’s tycoon, and Yu alternates between Baldy Li’s rambunctious, wild ride to the top and Song Gang’s more respectable, slow journey towards happiness. Song Gang has, after all, married that very town beauty whom Baldy Li (and every other man) coveted. Baldy Li’s resulting vasectomy is dramatic but illustrates his all-or-nothing attitude that eventually leads him to success. And that’s just the first part of it. Search reviews of this book and you can probably find out how the rest of the story goes.

Brothers takes the reader through the Cultural Revolution to present day China. It is a story of hardship and of love, and also a satire of an ever changing China. It is sweet and harsh, with a lot of bawdy mixed in. It is 640 pages long. And not for everyone. Despite finishing each and every of its 640 pages, I’m still not quite sure it was for me. It is, however, a really popular book in China, and a controversial one at that. Yu, a former dentist, said in an interview with the New York Times: “If the right-wingers hate ‘Brothers’ for its depiction of capitalism in China, the left dislikes it for its depiction of the Cultural Revolution.”

However, I am still interested in checking out some of Yu Hua’s other books, especially To Live which won the Grinzane Cavour Award (check out its great list of books!) in 1998. Zhang Yimou directed the film adaptation, which  won the Grand Jury and Best Actor prizes at the 1994 Cannes Film Festival.

[flashflood42 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Though a long book, I zipped through it, laughing at the scene of Baldy Li in the bathhouse as much as I've laughed at any scene ever--that is, until I got to the scene of his father's death which was even funnier and even more gross! But although there were fabulous comic moments, the serious ones were just as powerful, especially the scenes of what happened to Baldy Li's mother and stepfather during the cultural revolution. The satire of modern China's capitalistic fervor was good but ultimately went on too long. In fact, 2/3's of the book was excellent but the last 1/3 felt as if the author wasn't sure how to bring it all to an end. When he did, it happened too fast although all the scenes not set in the village leading up to the end went on too long.

[smilee306 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Although much of the syntax was at the least strange and sometimes clunky or repetitive, I really enjoyed reading this translation. It gave me a very different perspective of Chinese culture - the book covers the time span of right around the cultural revolution until about 2004, and often times I felt like it was even older than that. So many of the elements of everyday life in the village seemed so ancient to me - having a "dentist" waiting to pull teeth outside in his folding chair, shared community lavatories that were basically trenches, and bringing the dead back to the house all seem to come from another time, but were happening in recent memory in China. This story of two brothers really was stirring and emotional and well-crafted, and I'm hoping that there are other translations of Yu Hua's works. Although a long book, the chapters are a nice length to zip through and I found that I always wanted to read just one more.I will say that I think it's annoying that both the Amazon review down there and inside the jacket reveal that Lin Hong becomes a madam, something the reader doesn't come to until the epilogue. Was it necessary to include that there to get me to read the book? I wouldn't have put it there.

[hairball_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Very satisfying read. I thought it might be a bit of a slog, but I whipped right through it. There's an intro from the translators that attempts to situate the book within the socio-historical context of China, and that was interesting, but I'm sure a better grounding of Chinese history would have made it funnier, or more ironic and cutting. And, hey, reading about the excesses of the Cultural Revolution is always a kick...

[thecrow2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The story of two brothers from the Cultural Revolution till the present days. A great funny, serious, satirical and sad insight to the recent history of China.

[annannean-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

What no one ever told me: this book is X-rated.
I would count humiliation and gore as part of the R-rating. As Chinese book, I have a bit of understanding that Chinese culture always likes to portray martyrs and include multiple deaths in media. However, it is hard for me to juxtapose the black comedy, tragedies, and utter absurdity of certain events. In some way, Brothers embodies all the different elements in theater and drama; the whole book is imbued with each of them that I sometimes feel ambivalent about my emotions. I've been put through the emotional wringer and by the time I read the ending, I'm so put out and an wrecked by tears and bitter ironic laughter. I feel emotionally manipulated but that's not the point at all. This book in no way is a bad story; it just has so many themes and controversial events. To put it matter-of-factly, Brothers accurately displays "life" in all its glory and repulsiveness. There's laughter and there's always tragedy. No one wins at life and it's hard to say that people live happily ever after. After all, this is a Chinese book so everything may seem absurd but at the same time realistic enough that the readers believe it possible.
One person's death can profoundly affect another person's life for good and for bad. Already Yu Hua starts the book with the embarrassing death of Baldy Li's father who accidentally fell and drowned in a cesspool of human feces trying to peep at women's butts. This launches off the everlasting shame for the wife Li Lan and the infamous expectation for Baldy Li to turn out just like his father. Throughout the whole novel, money becomes a central focus and essential theme to all the characters. They all want to make a stable living and despite having enough food to survive, all of them still want for more currency. It's really frustrating as the plot progresses and all the people start to withstand all sorts of humiliation just for the sake of making a steady income. Lin Hong suffers the injustice of sexual harassment from her boss just so she can keep her job and pull in wages when in fact, she already has enough money to sustain her until death. All these people are so cheap and value money over health which is sickening enough but in reality, is a prevalent outlook that exists in many people's minds. For these people and many others in real life, there is never enough money. At some point however, several rich people do come to an epiphany in the end and spend their money. However, it is sad to say that "you can't teach old dog new tricks" and many people remain the same mindset throughout their whole lives.
Brothers, which is most oftentimes vulgar and satirical, also contains heart-wrenching tearful tragedies that break my heart. I am so ambivalent half the time; I love the first part of the book but I hated the second part. There were great shining moments that made me laugh while at other moments I couldn't stop sobbing. The people who endured such hardships and lived through the terrifying era of the Cultural Revolution still continue to strive on and conquer life. They have all experienced life in its warped proportions but many have theirs cut too short.In the end, it is not for me to say who has truly lived life when so many heroes and minor characters have died tragically and other despicable ones outlive them all. All in all, this was a book rife with suffering and humor but I, for one, did not suffer to read it. It's engrossing and addictive and for its epic length of 658 pages, I did not feel the story to be long at all.

[arubabookwoman · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I loved this black comedy of life in China from before the Cultural Revolution through the present day, but nearly gave up on it early on. The first part of the novel seemed to go on forever and involved Baldy Li and his father spying on women's bottoms as they used the communal latrines, with great emphasis on descriptive accounts of the pool of excrement and slime at the bottom of the pit (where Baldy Li's father in fact drowned). However, once past this, I was able to fully enjoy the novel.The novel primarily concerns the lives of Baldy Li and his step-brother Song Gang. They are polar opposites, but have an inseparable bond with each other. Baldy is brash, crude, sex-obsessed, short and bald, selfish and self-assured, but somehow likeable. Over the years, despite early setbacks, Baldy becomes a fabulously wealthy businessman (dealing in trash), but never loses his innate crudity. Song Gang is tall and handsome, and remains a poor factory worker for most of his life. He marries the beautiful woman Baldy Li has loved all his life (since he first glimpsed her bottom), and this causes a rift between the brothers for a long time.Yu Hua beautifully conveys the characters of the two brothers, as well as their families and the other villagers, and that is the strength of the novel. The ongoing history of China is generally only the backdrop to this story of their relationships and lives. While there is occasional tragedy, for the most part it is entirely personal. The events of the Cultural Revolution as they affected the lives of the brothers, however, compellingly depicted how this horrible era affected the lives of the ordinary people, including the brothers, and was difficult to read without tears. Unlike most other parts of the book, the portion taking place during the Cultural Revolution was mostly related without humor, and in utter seriousness.This is a memorable work, an entertaining and compelling read, and I highly recommend it. As one reviewer put it, "There is never a dull page."

[st5croixsue · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is an epic length crazy, absurd, dark tragic/comedy about life in China at the end of the cultural revolution through China’s transition into capitalism and materialism. It follows the lives of two very different half- brothers from the time they are children through their adult lives spanning four decades. Originally published in two volumes, it has been wildly popular in China, and short listed for the Man Asian Literary Prize.

[shawnd_72 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a tragic, graphic and explicit and funny novel that brings the Chinese country experience to life. Set in the second half of the 20th century, it follows the lives of two brothers during Maoism and the leadership of Deng Xiaoping. The brothers cut a wide swath, even as children one of the twain, Baldy Li, becomes famous and never stops doing unique and famous things. The subdued alter ego, Song Gang, is really a half-brother, and the two are inseparable until later events draw them apart.In the beginning of the story, one can't escape the deep pathos and heartbreak of the boys' childhood. The violence and torture against 'class enemies' -- anyone who's made money as an entrepreneur or capitalists -- is crippling and sad. The story meanders through later events, the death of their parents, and the boys' launch into their careers. The middle part of this long novel covers both boys' experiences with the town beauty Lin Hong, and the last portion includes the very sad major events on which the book concludes. Lin Hong exposes the all too common sadness a young woman experiences as she reaps the ill consequences of the events she created and forced into being. Baldy Li matures with all his personalities seen as a child expressed into adulthood and emergence as a major figure. And Song Gang is perhaps the most tragic of the bunch, who's childhood values lead him to being buffeted by the personalities around him.The book overall is well-written, enjoyable, flows well, and is funny. The violence is stark, and the sexuality in the last portion of the book is very explicit.

[imperfectcj · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Wow. I am totally blown away by Yu Hua's ability to combine the comic with the immensely tragic. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The characters were well-developed and really drove this story. I do wonder if I would have gotten even more from it if I were more familiar with Chinese culture and history.

[herschelian · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A rip-roaring behemoth of a book, I am sure it will become a classic in due course. The language and violence are startlingly in your face, but, having been learning Mandarin for some time now, I think the translation is excellent. This is not a book for the squeamish or the prudish, but if you can stomach it, this book will tell you more about what life has been like for the Chinese people than any number of erudite tomes by Western commentators. Yu Hua's depiction of the Cultural Revolution as seen through the eyes of two small boys is incredibly illuminating. Don't get me wrong, this is not a serious analysis of Chinese post-war politics. I laughed aloud so many times, and was really engrossed in the story of the brothers and the motley crew of characters that surround them. Highly recommended, one of my books of the year.