“Paris Friend”
by Shuang Xuetao
translated from the Chinese by Justin Tiang
from the December 2, 2024 issue of The New Yorker
I had never heard of Shuang Xuetao before this week’s New Yorker story popped up. He is a Chinese writer who has, I believe, just one book translated into English: Rouge Street, a collection of three novellas translated by Jeremy Tiang. It looks like there is another, a collection of stories called Hunter, coming out early next year from Granta, also translated by Tiang. As is this week’s story, so, though I’m not sure, I think its probable “Paris Friend” is a story from Hunter.
I do note that this is not the first time one of his stories appeared in The New Yorker. Last October, when I wasn’t posted much here, they published his story “Heart.” I will start with this week’s story and then work back to that one.
Here is how “Paris Friend” starts:
Xiaoguo had a terror of thirst, so he kept a glass of water on the table beside his hospital bed. As soon as it was empty, he asked me to refill it. I wanted to warn him that this was unhealthy—guzzling water all night long puts pressure on the kidneys, and pissing that much couldn’t be good for his injury. He was tall, though, so I decided his insides could probably cope.
I hope you’re all about to have a great final week of November. For those celebrating Thanksgiving, I hope you have a festive and restful holiday!
I read this story back in October 2023 and liked it very much — especially after reading the interview with the author that the NYorker often does — the cultural perspective helped. So very different from our lives. A young man rides n an ambulance with his father as they head to an ER in Beijing. It’s pitch black on an unlit highway. There are some magical elements — or are they hallucinations! It’s very much a father son story set against the political climate– the son has gone to University. The father was a factory and tells his son, “Your existence devours mine!” I actually read this story twice.
The story Margaret Mc described above is the previous one by Shuang Xuetao, from the October 2, 2023 issue, called “Heart”. That’s a strange one. The non-realism of dreams. I take it to be symbolic/allegorical, about lives and relationships. I’ll wait for someone else to interpret it.
This current story, “Paris Friend”, is a clever mystery. You may guess where it’s going at some point. Interesting characters. Chinese, but needn’t have been. Amusing, but more than that. Ultimately moving. A good little read. Again, maybe someone else will have more to say.
While I’m here, I want to recommend a super great 2024 novel I just read:
_There are Rivers in the Sky_
by Turkish-Brit author Elif Shafak.
I’ve read 5 of her 10 previous novels, mostlly recent, some of them so good I felt I must read every next one I live to see. So far, I’m right: this one is her best yet!
You can find reviews, so without going into detail: It’s largely about ancient Mesopotamia, although only the first chapter is set there. The rest is chapters alternating the separate stories of three separate characters (one based on a real person), in the 19th or 21st Century, mostly in England or Iraq. It’s like reading a chapter each of three short novels in succession, round and round—but it works! Have faith, it comes together. Richly drawn on multiple levels. A must read to the end.
The amount of research the author did for the historical aspects is impressive. Fascinating! But delicate readers, be forewarned: there are some horrific scenes.
There’s a brief video review by a woman who says it’s the best book she’s ever read:
www dot tiktok dot com at
randleauthor/video/7400391596031741217?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc
click “not now”