Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

This was a fascinating read. It was heavy at times, and not for those looking for an easy bed time read but I found it intriguing. Having spent a lot of time travelling, in China, Vietnam and Russia, I drew many of my memories to the forefront as I read Zhou Daxin's account. While I do not think that China today is a restrictive as it was pre cold war era, even though a communist regime still governs the country, people do have more freedom and opportunities than they once were afforded. It showed the fears that Chinese people today face, that in China just like in the rest of the world, more often than not it is who you know that will help you succeed in the world rather than what you have achieved in your own right and it also educates us on Chinese people's relationship with and attitudes towards other world nations and powers. It really was a fascinating book, one that took me a while to get though, but I wanted to read it thoroughly. I can see this being adopted by third level institutions as part of their college reading list compilations. I would have found it fascinating during my studies too.

Thank you to Netgalley for this advanced reader's copy in return for my honest review. I loved the writing style. While not conventionally told, the story is carefully crafted through a mix of interviews. Wonderfully book that builds to a crescendo.

Ouyong Wantong, the former governor of Qinghe province, China, has just died aged 66 and this enjoyable novel takes the form of a series of interviews – of his wives, other family members, colleagues, employees – held by his biographer who is gathering material about the life and work of this influential man. A gradual picture emerges, told from different perspectives, of a moral and upright man living and working in an amoral and corrupt country, where connections are more important than ability, and who you know is more important than what you know. Always true to his own convictions Ouyong never waivers in his attempt to live a good life and to fight corruption wherever and whenever he sees it. It’s a fascinating character study and at the same time an exploration of the culture of a country where nepotism and bribery are rife, where becoming an “official” is all important, because only by being an official can you obtain status and the associated benefits, a country in which the scale of corruption is astounding to a western eye but which is here accepted as routine. The author uses the book to express his views and opinions on a number of subjects, from China’s GDP, the environment, world politics, house prices to the national debt, and these interludes are little more than a series of mini-lectures, which slowed the narrative but offered a valuable insight into the Chinese mind-set. I found it a very entertaining and illuminating novel and enjoyed seeing Ouyong being slowly revealed by the key people in his life, who all had a distinct and well-portrayed personality themselves, one which came across effectively in their interviews. The book is much more than a simple fictional biography. It’s also a compelling portrait of contemporary China.

"Nowadays, how could anyone become an official through their personal struggle and abilities! Everyone looks for connections. Everyone relies on connections."

Ouyang Wantong died young, at the age of 66. This is his story.

It is not a conventionally told story. What we read are transcripts of multiple interviews with people connected to Ouyang (family members, colleagues, friends, acquaintances, even enemies). We don’t ever hear the interviewer’s voice, but it is clear from the words recorded that the interviewer is prompting in the background. This framing for the novel means that the story emerges gradually and it is mainly up to the reader to piece the information together. One connection may mention something in passing which will then be explained in more detail 10 chapters later. One person may give details of an event which, a few chapters later, is related completely differently by another person. Several times, interviewees make it clear that they know more than they are willing to say on the record and the reader is left to guess at what might have been revealed when the microphone was switched off. The reader’s main task whilst working through this fictional biography is to piece together a story. For me, as a European reader, this task was made slightly more difficult by the plethora of names: I find names in European books tricky to track sometimes, so when they are all Chinese names and unfamiliar, this becomes even more tricky. Fortunately, I read on the Kindle so it was always easy to highlight a name and review where I had seen it before.

But this is far more than the story of Ouyang Wantong. As we hear from people who knew him, a story about China gradually emerges. This is what attracted me to the book in the first place because, for some reason I can’t really explain, recent Chinese history fascinates me. Ouyang grew up in poverty under Mao and then rose through the ranks as China itself went through a period of reform and gradual opening up. So we learn about the Chinese attitude to GDP, about their fears regarding the USA (especially the debt they have built up), about concerns over the environmental damage being done by the huge industrial expansion. Japan looms large in the national consciousness.

One of the most notable things through the whole book is, as the quote at the start suggests, the ongoing need for connections in order to progress. The book also gives the impression that there is really only one direction in which any right-minded person would want to progress: to become “an official”. At a ceremony just after his birth, Wantong is presented with various objects and his choice will indicate his future. He picks a paintbrush and a musical instrument (a suona).

"But his grandfather…was angry. He snatched the suona and the drawing brush out of his hands, threw them on the ground, stuffed the...official seal into his hand and said to the confused little thing: 'You’re a man. What’s the value of being a suona player or a painter? If you have guts, be an official when you grow up. Bring something new to the Ouyang family and win glory for us!'"

Many of the problems faced by characters in the story are caused by their determination to become ever more important officials, rising through the ranks by bribery and nepotism.

For readers coming from a different culture, the writing takes time to get used to. For my tastes, there is an over-reliance on the use of lists. Again and again, a character will say something like “There are four things wrong with the Chinese economy. First…” and then go on to list each thing in turn taking a paragraph to explain. Time and time again their are lists of three, four or five things that need to be explained point by point. I don’t know if this is a characteristic of Chinese writing or of this particular author. Or even just of this particular book. I don’t remember noticing it in other Chinese books I’ve read, though.

This is a tale of love, betrayal, political corruption and greed. As the individuals in the story fight their own personal battles, in the background, a new world superpower gradually rises. If you are interested in China, it is a fascinating book to read.

3.5 stars rounded up because of my general interest in the subject matter.