This is the third Zhou Daxin novel that I have read (the others being “After the Finale” and “Fields of Joy”). My thanks to Sinoist Books for ARCs of all these.

One thing is for sure: Zhou Daxin manages to find some interesting structures for his novels. “After the Finale” is framed as a series of interviews with people who had known someone who had just died: the reader is left to piece together what might be the truth about this person by working through the differing views and, along the way, a picture of China emerges. In “Fields of Joy”, we read a dialogue between a father and his late son who died after a battle with a brain tumour (this book is highly autobiographical). Again, we learn about China as we read. And here, in “Longevity Park” we read a series of seven lectures, all delivered in the eponymous Longevity Park.

All these novels take an innovative approach to telling a story whilst, at the same time, giving a perspective on life in China. It is this combination of story-telling and insight that makes them fascinating to read.

All the lectures in “Longevity Park” concern themselves with the subject of ageing and old age. At chinadaily.com.cn, a review reckons that this ”is probably the first contemporary Chinese fiction that deals with the topic of aging people in the country”. It’s a subject that China has to come to terms with.

The first four lectures we read are, in essence, presentations by different companies. The first concerns a robot nurse and a nursing home, the second a longevity pill, the third a remarkable offer to “turn back the years” and experience life as you were decades ago. And the fourth projects into the future and considers the possible developments in the field of human life expectancy.

Then, for lectures five to seven, we join Zhong Xiaoyang as she tells us about her experiences caring for an elderly man, Xiao Chengshan. In the chinadaily.com.cn review, Zhou says, ”"The aging population is becoming a problem. Currently we're relying on family members to deal with it, but society should be aware of the challenge, and provide more nursing organizations, community doctors and the like.” The novel partly documents the ageing process, but also tells us the story of the developing relationship between the old man and his nurse. It is this relationship that gives the novel its emotional side and which turns it from a documentary into a novel. In addition, alongside the relationship between the old man and the nurse, we read about the relationship between the nurse and her employer, the old man’s daughter. This storyline introduces another, if rather brief, thread to the story that deals with depression.

As Xiao ages through the book, he experiences many of the unavoidable effects of the ageing process. However, if you are like me, you may find that the final section of the book takes you by surprise!

This book was different and a surprise. The format was interesting and the chapters short, which made it more enjoyable. The concept and plot was also one I did not expect, it’s an interesting twist on life and death. The book eerily reminds me of Never Let Me Go and it gave me chills about humans advancement in science and medicine, and where we draw the line between our advancements and messing with the nature of life. I recommend this book because of the concept and the philosophical thought it promotes.