The Notebook Trilogy - Ágota Kristóf

 

Yet another Hungarian book (well, a trilogy) and one that for two thirds was absolutely mind-blowing. 

The first book, with the twins' penchant for self-discipline, their unique view of the world and their twisted ethic, was an absolute work of art finishing with the most dramatic couple of lines I've read in a long, long time when one of them crosses the border. 

The second book was softer, but revealed unexpected elements of depth in the character of one of the twins, and also acted as a very interesting depiction of an unnamed country (well, Hungary) during the Cold War. 

But the revelation of the lie in the third book, instead of adding a further element of intrigue, it unfortunately made me lose interest in the trilogy, and actually left me rather disappointed after having been so enthralled by what I believed were the true elements of the first two books. 

The Stolen Bicycle - Wu Ming-Yi

 

I believe this was the first Taiwanese book I've ever read, and in many ways a lot of the anecdotes (at the end it's almost a collection of anecdotes tied together by the search for a bicycle/family heirloom) reminded me of the touching stories by Mo Yan. 

The "technical" sections on the mechanics of bicycles and their evolution were in all honesty fairly boring, even for someone who enjoys his own bike and can look after it reasonably well. 

One thing that I found curious was the lasting legacy (and presence) of the Sino-Japanese war throughout the novel, much like for many Italian authors the impact of Fascism remains a constant (and again, much like Mo Yan goes back to the Sino-Japanese war time and again, with all the obvious disclaimers about the differences between mainland China and Taiwan).