Death of a Red Heroine, by Qiu Xiaolong, 2000.
ISBN: 1569471932
An excellent novel by Qiu, who is a
professor of
comparative literature at the
University of Washington and lived in
China until
1990. The story is set in
1990, a year still ringing with repercussions from
Tiananmen Square and in a substantially different era than the
PRC today. The main character is Chen Cao, Chief Inspector, translator of English
mystery novels, and
poet. Chen is
likeable and strong, the
upright official archetype so common in Chinese stories. Chen is very multi-dimensional, though; ambiguous about love, worried about his job, uneasy and human. Chen is drawn into a
homicide case involving a celebrity
Model Worker, though naturally it gets far more complicated than that. Qiu does an excellent job of fully describing the
ambiguity of the situations and the politics of Party and justice. The story wanders a bit,
overshadowed by the
Cultural Revolution and interspersed with
poetry, but the pace suits the material and the setting--mostly
Shanghai, where the fog sometimes seems to weight everything down unbearable. But there are light moments too, as well as
tenderness--Qiu is an excellent writer of the
human heart. The author also provides an ending that I think will be satisfying to most readers, even though it's no
Hollywood ending.
The book was written in
English and is highly readable. Recommended to
mystery-readers, who will find it a literary cut above the usual best-sellers, and to those interested in modern
China. I'll be waiting for Qiu's next book, for sure.