Saigoneer Bookshelf: A Touch of Magical Realism in ‘The Cemetery of Chua Village’
about 65 months ago (12/17/2018)
Saigoneer Bookshelf: A Touch of Magical Realism in 'The Cemetery of Chua Village' | ArtsEquator Thinking and Talking about Arts and Culture in Southeast Asia Articles December 18, 2018 Vietnam transitioned to a market economy like an old train lurching to life: momentous shakes and shudders, steam bursting out busted gaskets, disheveled cargo tumbling from luggage racks, sparks shooting off wheels screeching across warped rails and a whistle ripping into the placid sky. As the government enacted new policies, tossing aside the institutions to which people had adapted deeper cultural values and traditions, communities succumbed to the machinations of the worst amongst themselves. This theme lies at the center of several of the ten fictional stories in The Cemetery of Chua Village by Doan Le and lurks in the background of others alongside ruminations on the inadequacies of love as portrayed with a surreal, dark humor.