January 8, 2009
By Peter Sullivan
Little Hut of Leaping Fishes
by Chiew-Siah Tei
Pan Macmillan R169
A most unusual novel, stylistically so different I thought it must be translated.
Almost apologetically, the plot unfolds, giving glimpses into the strange life of the late 1800s when mandarins ruled the roost. It tells of a poor boy who makes good as a mandarin despite all handicaps. His half-brother is his ruthless enemy, as are men of the old order, drug runners and brothel-keepers
. It is not the plot that captivates, but the style.
Almost courtly, never overstated, filled with insights into an era when peasants were without recourse and mandarins ruled with unbridled power, yet even the humblest could rise through dedication at school.
There is opium, treachery, adultery, corruption and poverty, through which the central character, Mingzhi, threads his way with great delicacy, a little politics and intellectual honesty, using skills of the mind. - Peter Sullivan
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