In the Pond
Ha Jin · 1998
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About the book
Set in the northern provincial commune town of Dismount Fort, In the Pond tells the story of Shao Bin, a worker at the Harvest Fertilizer plant who aims above his station. Passed over on the list to receive a larger apartment, while those in favor with the party are selected ahead of him, Shao Bin chafes at his powerlessness until he hits upon a solution: placing a satirical cartoon in the provincial newspaper. In the Pond is a close, unsentimental depiction of life in a small factory town: the maneuvering, posturing, petty jealousies and injustices of an ordinary man who tangles with the party bosses. In this first novel, as in his short fiction, "Ha Jin captures the particularities of life in China, yet we recognize his characters intimately.
First sentence: SHAO BIN FELT SICK of Dismount Fort, a commune town where he had lived for over six years.
Book details
- Year
- 1998
- Language
- English
- Publisher
- Zoland Books
- Editions
- 9
- Pages
- 178
- ISBN
- 9780944072929
Data source: Wikidata
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