Waiting by Ha Jin

The Basics

Book Info: Waiting by Ha Jin.  This is the 2nd book I’ve read by this author. I’ve also read A Free Life for our library’s “One Book, One County” event.

Genre: Contemporary Literature

Plot Overview: Lin Kong has returned home from his life working in the city as a doctor in the army every year for the past 18 years to divorce his wife.  Somehow, it never happens, even though he has a girlfriend in the city waiting for him.  This is the story of his relationship with each of these women.

Jumping In

Importance of the Title: The title speaks to the waiting that each of the main characters in the novel are doing throughout their lives.  Lin is waiting for the 18 year separation requirement to be up for an easier divorce.  Shuyu, his wife, waits for him to come back to her, and quietly serves him whenever possible.  Manna Wu waits each year for Lin to divorce his wife and to marry her.

Style: Mostly, we see the perspective of Lin. However, we do occasionally get to see Manna Wu’s perspective.  While we do not see much of Shuyu’s life, we feel for her all the same.  She’s the most redeemable character in the story.  However, this could also be because we don’t know her intimately since we aren’t privy to her thoughts.

This is a well written book with great dialogue. Ha Jin is a gifted author and storyteller, and I was engaged throughout.

Themes: Perhaps the broadest idea here is that we always seem to want what we cannot have.  Lin spends his entire life not appreciating his wife because he is ashamed of her looks and her old country ways, even though she is very good to him.  He meets Manna Wu and is attracted to her and convinces himself he is really in love with her.  When he finally gets her, things aren’t necessarily like he imagined.

My Notes

I really liked the writing in this book. It was clear and moved the story along swiftly.  I also enjoyed getting to see a bit of the life in China during the cultural revolution.  Growing up in the modern USA, I have never had trouble buying anything I wanted, never had to deal with the rationing of food and supplies, and never had any unreasonable restrictions placed on me. It was a learning experience to read about day to day life in China spanning nearly two decades.

I did not find Lin or Manna Wu particularly redeeming characters. I found them both selfish and uninspiring.  It was easy to get impatient with Lin because he didn’t seem to know his own mind.  He spent his best years doing what other people told him to, and never really worked his way out of that.

While the ending wasn’t a tidy one, I found myself at odds on whether to respect it or be upset with it.  It was great prose, and I read the last page out loud to my husband twice, trying to work out the symbolism.  In the end, I decided that it ended in a good spot because it left the characters still waiting in a way, the point of the book. It’s only my own need for a clean resolution interfering with good writing.

Pick up Waiting if you’re looking for a thoughtful read on another culture with an interesting story.