“Every summer Lin Kong returned to Goose Village to divorce his wife, Shuyu”.

That is the opening line of the book “Waiting”, which I encountered in the local library. I had not heard of the author nor had I heard of the book, but with an opening line like that, I was hooked.

The book is clever and unexpected.

For one thing, I wondered how long the author, Jin,  could keep up the main storyline of the book without becoming tiresome – it’s no spoiler to say that the hero is an army doctor, there is a nurse at the military hospital and a wife back in Goose Village.

Jin held my interest for all of the 308 pages.

The book was even more unexpected in the sense of how much background information about rural China (both historical and cultural) and social commentary Jin conveys in an indirect and subtle manner. There are no direct horror stories of “The Cultural Revolution”, nor does the quiet military doctor actively participate in any of the enterprising initiatives that open up later. But as the story unfolds, a clear picture of what it is like to live in an extremely controlled society, one in which you never seem to be truly alone, emerges as well.

Another example of a THANK YOU, LIBRARY” book – books that I find there when I stop looking for books I’ve heard about.