The details of human suffering end up co-opting the story, overshadowing larger, more nuanced points the author is trying to make.

He narrates how he suffered under the ruthless hands of the three in charges who cared for the children while the parents worked in the iron smelting industry. Penguin Books, 14 (304pp) ISBN 978-0-14-023391-9 Banned in his native China, Yans novel centers on a revolt among garlic farmers who are unable. Flashbacks present the life of Sun Bing, a leader of the Boxer Rebellion who 'led the fight between local residents and the German devils.' The governor of Shandong province sentences him to death, seeking to 'unnerve unruly subjects and preserve discipline and the rule of law.' Sun Bing is to suffer the Sandalwood Death, an excruciatingly prolonged method of execution%E2%80%94the sadism of which will be hard for many readers to stomach. Mo Yan’s story is a biographical comedy that tells his childhood hardships in a satirical tone.

In an Author's Note, the Nobel Prize winner observes that he 'had trouble' answering friends who asked what this historical novel was about, before concluding that it was 'all about sound.' Mo attempts to preempt the criticism he anticipates by stating that the book 'will likely not be a favorite of readers of Western literature, especially in highbrow circles,' because of his use of 'rhymes and dramatic narration, all in the service of a smooth, easy to understand, overblown, resplendent narrative.' But there are other barriers to enjoyment than style.

The Garlic Ballads by Mo Yan