Let me start off with saying that it takes a rare book for me to DNF and unfortunately, this was one of them.

I got 52% of the way through and had been reading it since June 14th... I just couldn't do it to myself anymore! The characters were incredibly unlikeable. If I don't like at least one character in a book I just find it so hard to continue. This book really didn't fill me with any emotion, only apathy and I found myself reading a few pages at a time before I put it down.

I felt like there was no plot either. It skipped from one thing to the next. It felt almost like a collection of short stories in one big story.

It wasn't a bad book, it just was not for me. It was excellently translated by James Trapp and I would pick up a book by Su Tong again but unfortunately this time it was not meant to be!

I find that I typically enjoy novels translated from Chinese; there is a sparseness to the writing style that jives well with me. The fairytale aspects of this were very interesting, though there were ideas that I feel must be central to Chinese culture that didn't necessarily translate to me as an American (i.e. losing your soul?). Good for any collection, though.

I read the first 50 pages and really couldn't get into it. The storyline felt a tad bland, and nothing happens.... I will continue a little further and will edit this review if it sparks interest, but right now im struggling to pick it up to read any further.....

ARC kindly provided by Alain Charles Asia Publishing via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

This book was a very interesting read for me. The story was complex, nuanced, and very real in the way that it didn't shy away from any difficult topics or language. Yet what the story had in complexity and beauty, it stumbled a bit for me in translation. On the most basic level, this book was well translated, yet culture and even common phrases were difficult to understand without some background knowledge. What is the red envelope? Why is everyone so concerned about losing their souls? Readers without prior knowledge of Chinese culture may find themselves confused throughout the book.

Many of those aspects made this book a slow read for me, but it doesn't mean that I didn't enjoy it. It simply did not flow as I expected. Yet the story is one of great intrigue and I am very glad that I read it.

What started as Baorun’s grandfather story, a story of abandonment and mistreatment, ended up been a broader story where three main characters are introduced, then abandoned for pages leaving me guessing as to their whereabouts (even though each one gets their part, I felt something was missing in their story). I was investing my interest in Grandfather storyline and then we get his grandson Baorun, then the grandson’s rival-friend Liu Sheng and then Fairy Princess (the catalysis).

The characters are not likable and don't have any redeemable traits that could surpass their negatives ones, although you can arguably say they act accordingly to what lot they have in life. You never expect something good is going to happen to any of them, all their decisions are mostly without a thought or care for the future.

What I appreciate in the story was its no nonsense treatment, this is what you get in life and not always is pretty or easy, anyone can relate to that (even more so in these days, sh*t just happen). I kept reading out of curiosity thinking this character can’t have worst luck, this can be happening, why is she doing that, and so on.

What I didn’t like. Some traumatic situations happen to all the characters, but the writer’s approach to the female character was not to my liking. Even when Baorun and Liu Sheng weren’t on page, they overshadowed Fairy Princess narrative, what they did marked the pace for the rest of her life. She’s written as a rebel, headstrong woman but deep down her destiny was tainted by the male characters.

Let me expand on Fairy Princess. She is introduced as the “love interest” of both male characters and the trigger for all the events that encapsulate more than a decade of their lives. My main concern is that’s all she is, she goes through a lot and it’s not given the depth it should have had. In fact, the three main characters remain true to who they are since adolescence until the end of the book, they do not learn anything or show growth.

The author bio at the end states that his writing tends to be in the “darker side of human nature” and that’s what you get, the human, very not flawless side of three characters in a traditional Chinese town, with their customs and belief.

I´d recommend this book to those who already have read Chinese literature (not to beginners) and are more able to appreciate the kind of story than relies on tradition and folklore without being to fantastic.

I will also recommend Brothers by Yu Hua and The Vagrants by Yi Yun Li if you like more family saga, historical fiction kind of stories.

𝑰𝒇 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒔 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒃𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒂𝒔 𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒉, 𝒇𝒆𝒓𝒕𝒊𝒍𝒆 𝒇𝒊𝒆𝒍𝒅𝒔, 𝑮𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒇𝒂𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓’𝒔 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒂 𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒆𝒕𝒄𝒉 𝒐𝒇 𝒑𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒂𝒈𝒆𝒅 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒂 𝒔𝒄𝒆𝒏𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒅𝒆𝒔𝒐𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏.

Described as a 𝘥𝘺𝘴𝘧𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘤 𝘰𝘣𝘴𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘊𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘴, 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘶𝘯𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘰𝘳 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘪𝘵𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘺, Su Tong’s novel Shadow of the Hunter made me wonder, who do I trust? The victims are as horrid as the hunter. Just when I felt for one character, they would do something unforgivable, that has the reader wondering at their motivation. The character who seems to sweeten you is just as likely to bite you. Fairy Princess may as well be a chaotic wind. Maybe that is what so inflames Baorun’s passions for her. I am getting ahead of myself, the story begins with blooming flowers in the spring as Grandfather makes his way to have his portrait taken. A festival day, portrait day, for the old man. Doubting the living will honor him after his final death (you have to read), the old man takes the reigns and decides to honor himself, humiliating his family. It is Baorun’s job to save face by preventing “Gramps” from having his portrait taken, but where the story goes from there is a journey of obsessive love, bondage and revenge. Grandfather understands too well the sorrows of the dead, without filial piety a soul has no hope. Naturally, this insult enrages his daughter-in-law who despises the old fool for his longevity. There is a girl at the heart of it, family ancestors, superstition, a mental hospital, and a grandfather who is obsessed with his lost soul.

Grandson Baorun ties himself in knots with his very own ropes when his emotional turmoil infects his senses. When he and Liu Sheng (a local celebrity of sorts from a prominent family) make a deal, involving a fiery girl. In doing so, they have no clue how long they will burn together.

I can’t begin to describe the twists and turns nor the curious betrayals and lies. There is heavy injustice and you cannot sort the good from the bad, nor make sense of the logic the “victim” uses. If only Grandfather’s Golden Rule was followed by all, ” be careful, and then be more careful.” I went away with heavy thoughts of my own. Nothing enchants quite like Chinese fables with their entertaining characters, sometimes they verge on the absurd but never without morals. I found more online about the ancient Chinese tale Su Tong used as inspiration. A mantis stalks a cicada unaware of the bird behind him, and thinking about that conundrum gives credence to “deranged” grandfather’s Golden Rule. You can never be too careful, and none of them are.

It isn’t a light read, you really want to dig in, in fact digging is also part of the story but I won’t spoil it. I was enthralled. I haven’t read Raise the Red Lantern but have since added it to my TBR shelf. If you enjoy Chinese fiction, you won’t be disappointed. It translates beautifully.

Alain Charles Asia Publishing

Sinoist Books

I was intrigued with the title Shadow of the Hunter and its reference to an old Chinese tale by Chuang-Tzu regarding the mantis stalking the cicada, unaware of the oriole stalking him. Chuang-Tzu also indicates that he was illegally hunting the songbird with a cross-bow and unaware that the forester was tracking him. The duality and precariousness of the hunter being hunted, creates a novel with several layers that subtly add multiple perspectives to this enticing novel.

The novel is a challenging read with its complexity in characterisations and the divergent attitudes under constant struggle between modern and ancient China. The characters are unique with many strange personality traits that often reflect the darker side of human behaviour. The environment these characters occupy is a society that is rapidly changing from superstitious ancestral beliefs, to a modern society that refutes any power other than the state.

This was a novel I gradually warmed to rather than being captivated from the beginning. Initially, the style was jarring and while I fully appreciate the gaps authors leave for readers to fill the story, these gaps were significant and it certainly took a while for the flow and cohesion to kick in. The writing style and dialogue is deliberately distracting and unhinged, as a weirdness seeps from each character. The atmosphere of madness flirts at the edges, especially with the ever-present, Jingting Mental Hospital, as a focal point for either work or patient treatment.

“The hole was waiting there for Grandfather, waiting for him to tumble into it. And that was what his soul had already done.”

The three protagonists, Baorun, Liu Sheng and Miss Bai (formerly Fairy Princess) each lead a section of the novel. The three are involved in a particular crime – one was the victim, one the perpetrator and one the accused. Remember the title! All may not remain the same – revenge and retribution may turn the tables and the hunted may become the hunter. There are scores to settle but cloaked intent and mystery keep this novel captivating. The psychological burden that is portrayed with each character is wonderfully drawn and Su Tong maintains an air of anticipation on how the actions and reactions will be displayed. The balance within each character and between each character is excellent and their uniqueness is enthralling.

Shadow of the Hunter is a great example of Chinese literature that offers these amazing philosophical observations that enable a deeper meaning. The evolving society in China is fascinating and the cultural transitions are intriguing. I would recommend this book and would like to thank Sinoist Books and NetGalley for providing me with a free ARC copy in return for an honest review.

I was intrigued with the title Shadow of the Hunter and its reference to an old Chinese tale by Chuang-Tzu regarding the mantis stalking the cicada, unaware of the oriole stalking him. Chuang-Tzu also indicates that he was illegally hunting the songbird with a cross-bow and unaware that the forester was tracking him. The duality and precariousness of the hunter being hunted, creates a novel with several layers that subtly add multiple perspectives to this enticing novel.

The novel is a challenging read with its complexity in characterisations and the divergent attitudes under constant struggle between modern and ancient China. The characters are unique with many strange personality traits that often reflect the darker side of human behaviour. The environment these characters occupy is a society that is rapidly changing from superstitious ancestral beliefs, to a modern society that refutes any power other than the state.

This was a novel I gradually warmed to rather than being captivated from the beginning. Initially, the style was jarring and while I fully appreciate the gaps authors leave for readers to fill the story, these gaps were significant and it certainly took a while for the flow and cohesion to kick in. The writing style and dialogue is deliberately distracting and unhinged, as a weirdness seeps from each character. The atmosphere of madness flirts at the edges, especially with the ever-present, Jingting Mental Hospital, as a focal point for either work or patient treatment.

“The hole was waiting there for Grandfather, waiting for him to tumble into it. And that was what his soul had already done.”

The three protagonists, Baorun, Liu Sheng and Miss Bai (formerly Fairy Princess) each lead a section of the novel. The three are involved in a particular crime – one was the victim, one the perpetrator and one the accused. Remember the title! All may not remain the same – revenge and retribution may turn the tables and the hunted may become the hunter. There are scores to settle but cloaked intent and mystery keep this novel captivating. The psychological burden that is portrayed with each character is wonderfully drawn and Su Tong maintains an air of anticipation on how the actions and reactions will be displayed. The balance within each character and between each character is excellent and their uniqueness is enthralling.

Shadow of the Hunter is a great example of Chinese literature that offers these amazing philosophical observations that enable a deeper meaning. The evolving society in China is fascinating and the cultural transitions are intriguing. I would recommend this book and would like to thank Sinoist Books and NetGalley for providing me with a free ARC copy in return for an honest review.

First of all, my thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This book is my first step into Chinese literature, folklore and history. And I fell in love with it. Such a beautifully written book. I loved the complexity of the characters, there is just so much weaved into them. This is a story that builds up to its climax, slowly and due to this, keeps you engrossed right to the very end. I was swept away with this book. It can be a little intense but still a brilliant book.
5/5 - I would highly recommend this book. Superb.

3.5

This was really hard to rate because I think its worth reading even if just for the different cultural perspective it gives. It was different than American fiction (duh) in a way I can't quite articulate but which I really enjoyed reading. Something about the style and focus and obviously sentence structure.

There was a lot of talk about losing your soul which, in the beginning I was trying to figure out a western equivalent, but then I realized to think there is one is a mistake. It doesn't have to be a metaphor or different way to say mental illness, it just is.

There was a big focus on place, which I don't normally enjoy but which lent to the tone of the book, because the significant locations changed as our three main characters did.

As the synopsis implies, each of our three main characters acts egregiously against the others at some point, so the book studies which sins are worse and what it means to be in debt to someone. After spending 10 years in prison when Fairy Princess falsely accuses him of a crime, Baorun says she owes him. But when she offers money, he says, "I want you to pay back what I lost. Firstly, thats time...secondly its freedom. You owe me ten years of freedom." We of course wonder howbthat can be paid back. I don't necessarily think the book leads to only this conclusion, but in the end it seems there is no real retribution. As is true in most if life. I appreciated the reality of that.

Additionally, I appreciated the roundedness of the characters. Although I'm not sure I knew them that well, I believed them. If an action surprised me, it was because I did not fully know the character as a person, not because the writer wrote them inconsistently. If that makes sense. My obly quandry was that they and all the secondary characters were remarkably similar in one wah: it seemed they all react hostily to almost every conversation. I wasn't sure if this seem jarring to me because I'm from the ever appeasing Midwest or? On many ways I think it was defense mechanisms, but I'm not sure I believe even culturally people would always react so standoffishly and rather emotionless.

Throughout the book, we get one section from each character, Baorun, Liu Sheng, and Miss Bai/Fairy Princess respectively. I liked the evolution of it, however, whenever a pivotal event happened it felt like we were always in the one character's POV that isn't involved. This is I think the main reason I felt distanced. I don't know if I think that's a bad thing, but there were a lot of moments I found myself really wanting to see into them more, Baorun particularly.

I can't say I explicitly had a problem with anything...but one thing I wasn't satisfied with was the amoint of space devoted to the aftermath of the rape, which was hardly any. In Liu Sheng's POV we got no inkling of what led him to do that. No thought process or anything. And then in Miss Bai's POV they talk a bit about it and he insists he's a good guy and doesn't know what came over him, but I'm not sure the book wants me to disagree? Which I wouldn't like. It can be said he gets what he deserves, but we can also debate what anyone "deserves" just as the synopsis says, and who is predator and who is prey.

I don't think I can articulate a lot more about this book. It was good, but not the best book ever. It deals with a lot of good topics in not too on-the-nose ways while following young lives into unknown futures. It asks, have we made our beds or have they been made for us? So if ambiguity interests you...

**thanks netgalley and ACA for the advanced copy

This is one of those books which sets out to achieve a difficult feat: to keep you reading even though none of the characters are the slightest bit likable (or, as far as I am concerned, relatable). In 'Shadow of the Hunter' author Su Tong isn't giving us flawed people making hard decisions in a bad world; he gives us a world where goodness simply doesn't exist. No one is caring, or kind. People always choose to bully rather than befriend. There is no sympathy for victims nor compassion for survivors. There is loyalty and lust, but never love.

'Shadow of the Hunter' is not without its fascinating qualities: the story opens with Grandfather, obsessed with being properly remembered in death by his (of course) cold and uncaring family, losing his soul, and then slowly losing his mind. This kicks off a chain of events that twist and turn and span a number of years - and yet everything that happens seems almost inevitable, not due to fate, but due to the unfeeling nature of every character involved. You are constantly sure that nothing good is going to happen.

Ultimately, this is a book that was Not For Me. The writing is deft (and well translated by James Trapp) but my interest in the style and language couldn't outweigh my dislike of both the plot and characters. If you want a story to bring you down, then look no further. Otherwise, give it a miss.

An ARC was generously provided by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you Net Galley. Su Tong writes fascinating stories about human nature and Chinese life. I enjoy his style but find it disturbing at times. This is a story that builds slowly to its climax and keeps you engrossed to the end.

The Shadow of the Hunter was my first introduction to Chinese literature, it was something that I’ve been meaning to do for a while know, since I find Chinese folklore really interesting. I was excited to see how the plot would pan out and if it met my expectations, which were almost none. I may start by saying that it did, this book was parted in three and each part gave us an insight on a certain character.

Part one is focusing on the life of Baorun, the way he grew up and his weird interests, we get to meet all of the characters as children and watch them grow up as the book goes along. Part two focus on Liu Sheng, a friend of Baorun’s and finally part three focus on the female main character, which is Fairy Princess, later Miss Bai.
The main topic throughout the book it's a really raw analyzation of what makes you a villain and how you might, and probably will be both the hero and the villain as long as you live to make mistakes and ask for forgiveness.

Su Tong is an acclaimed writer and you can surely tell during this novel, he has a very interesting style of intertwining all of the characters in ways that you would not be expecting, which gives the plot line a bit of a thrill and this feeling that you don’t really know where the story is going to end up. This might put some people off but for me it was the opposite, I was so intrigued that nothing made sense in my head that I desperately wanted to find out more about everyone and everything.


It did take me a while to get into the story, mostly because the author was letting us in on clues slowly rather them throwing all the information we needed to know at the reader, I later came to be thankful for this approach.

With that said there were some things I think could’ve been done differently, there were certain traumatic events that I did not find believable, simply because of the reactions the characters had, it all seemed quite light hearted and I would’ve liked for it to have become a deeper part of the story but instead I felt like it wasn’t talked about enough. Other than that the story felt very “real life” in the way that the characters we not overexaggerated by the author in other to create a stereotype of each kind of personality.

I would recommend this book to anyone who might have an interest in Chinese culture and is willing to deal with the raw emotions of everyday people, to whom heartache seems to follow. It’s a sad story because it talks about real problems, and real dangers one might face.

Lastly thank you to Net Galley for the Advanced Readers Copy and to Alain Charles Asia Publishing.

Every small matter in this book slowly builds up into events that are complex and most frighteningly, very realistic. Superstition is weaved seamlessly into everyday beliefs, thoughts and actions as well as consequences, but that doesn’t make it any less real. Sometimes the truth and the lies are mixed in the story, the truth of what happened and the lies the characters tell themselves. The storytelling is complex, the narrative passing between the three characters, but with the other two characters still very much present even if they aren’t physically there.

The book begins with Baorun’s grandfather losing his soul, and I’d like to think that it ends with him getting his soul back, but anyway the story starts and ends with Grandfather, which is a nice but sad point. Grandfather is unwanted and shunted aside in the beginning and yet he still persists to the end of the story and is the only one who at least knows what he wants. He is the catalyst of the story, setting the plot running in its tracks. To tell the truth, he is easily one of the nicest characters in the story as he doesn’t mean anyone harm and is actually a peace-loving chap (although he wouldn’t say no to excitement now and then).

The author, Su Tong’s bio at the end of the book says that his work explores the darker side of human nature which definitely exists and of which the author succeeded in bringing out in this book. The human nature, as this book portrays, is definitely complicated, dark, harsh and cruel with bits of calmness interspersed in between. There is no specific good or bad, which we should be familiar with by now, but this story brings it out by alternating between being delicate and being blunt, a tricky mix but one which feels rewarding to behold.

I enjoyed this book, but it was a book laden with a fair amount of misery and can be intense so you’d probably want to calm down with a nice warm cup of tea and listen to some soothing music to smooth it over.

First of all, my thanks to the publisher, ACA Publishing, for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Su Tong is an established Chinese author who has written seven full length novels and over 200 short stories. Some of these have been translated into other languages, including English. He is best known outside China for his book Wives and Concubines which was made into the film Raise the Red Lantern (and, indeed, the book is often sold with this title now and the star of that movie, Gong Li, is name-checked in this novel).

The history of the novel Shadow of the Hunter takes a bit of tracking down on the internet. Su’s Wikipedia entry says he was the 2015 co-winner of the Mao Dun Literature Prize for a book called Yellowbird Story. Follow the trail of Yellowbird Story for a while to discover the same book with the name The Tale of the Siskin (fair enough: a siskin is a predominantly yellow bird). Follow the siskin lead to find a translation into French called Le Dit du Loriot (The Oriole Says). Also fair enough as a golden oriole is, again, very yellow. This final title is perhaps the most helpful given that the book is <i>linked to the fable of the oriole, the mantis and the cicada</i> (publisher’s words). This fable leads to the Chinese proverb <i>The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind</i> which is a warning not to pursue a narrow gain while neglecting a greater danger. And thus, poetically, we arrive at the English title here: Shadow of the Hunter.

So, with this fable in our minds, we head into the novel.

There are three parts to the story each with its own protagonist. But the lives of the trio are intimately connected by an act of violence that ends Part 1. Baorun is the focus of Part 1. He lives on Red Toon Street with his parents and his grandfather. Grandfather is another main character in the book, a sort of link between the old China and the new: the book is rarely overtly political but there are several comments and observations that relate to the transformation into a capitalist society. Grandfather’s story involves the loss of a soul, digging, snakes, photographs and a hospital. In parallel, Baorun’s story involves restraining people with ropes and knots and a desire to get to know Fairy Princess, a beautiful young orphan. When he meets Liu Sheng, there seems to be a chance for him to get to know Fairy Princess better, but events spiral out of control to end Part 1 with an act of violence that will dominate the rest of the book.

Liu Sheng is the protagonist in Part 2 and he is dealing with the fall out from Part 1. Then Fairy Princess, by now known as Miss Bai, comes into focus for Part 3 as the repercussions of Part 1 continue to dominate the lives of all three members of the trio leading to a dramatic finale to the book.

I have necessarily missed out a lot of the action in the book. Some of it is comedic, some is surreal (there are episodes of magic realism) and not all of it directly contributes to the story (which isn't a criticism as some of the asides are some of the most memorable parts of the book).

In Part 1, there seems to be a kind of simplicity or innocence about the language. When a character suddenly uses the f-word it feels out of place. But, as the story darkens, so the language also becomes a bit more complex. For this reader, this was needed as I am not sure I would have wanted to read almost 500 pages in the same style as Part 1. There’s enough change in Parts 2 & 3 to mean the style doesn’t wear out its welcome.

As our three protagonists switch from prey to predator and back to prey, all their lives are altered by that one violent act that means they share a past that won’t let go of them but will mark their actions and reactions for the whole of their lives.

Thank you to Alain Charles Asia Publishing and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader's Copy!

Available May 28 2020

Award winning author Su Tong's "Shadow of the Hunter" is in many ways a story retelling itself across Chinese landscape in time and space. The story unfolds in Red Toon Street at a mental institution where we meet our hero Baorun, a bondage savant using his skills to prevent his grandfather from digging up all the town's trees. When he meets the ethereal and esoteric Fairy Princess, the custodian's daughter, he falls in love instantly. With the help of his frenemy, Liu Sheng, he attempts to secure his love only to be rescinded many times. As the story deepens, we follow these three characters on their journey through life in rural China. I loved the complexity of Tong's characters, that not one is fully good or bad but somewhere in the middle. With an unique prosaic style, Tong enrapts his readers in an amusing tale.