Sounds of the River by Da Chen

Sounds of the River

by Da Chen

Arrow Books, 2004, ISBN 0099453827, paperback

Very Good Condition, a little edge and shelf wear, a little rubbing and bumping to edges and corners, no inscriptions, age toned pages (see photographs)

“Teenager Da Chen gathers soil from the riverbank near his village in China’s far south, before he leaves to attend university in Beijing to bear witness to his past and contain the sounds of the river of his childhood.  Later, spilled on to the dry earth of the North, they will merge two parts of Chen’s life.  Arriving in Beijing, armed with a dogged determination to learn English and familiarise himself with ‘all things Western’, he must compete with every other student to win a chance to study in the US – a chance that rests in the shrewd and corrupt hands of the all-powerful professors.  In this remarkable book – by turns ribald, hilarious and heartbreaking – Chen retains his indomitable spirit, but will he be any closer to attaining his goal?.”