The Invisibility Cloak

This book is a jewel that I will re-read often. It is a profoundly human take on our frailties and our periodical wish to be anonymous. It is funny, sad, and accessible without being easy. The writing is crisp and full of surprises.

very happy to read this book from china

There is one line that is my favorite. I will not spoil the story for you. The short story is worth reading.

I have a very limited acquaintance with modern Chinese literature, but if this is a representative piece, I look forward to getting much deeper into it. The novella is very well turned, with the narrator's self-awareness and self-revelation simultaneously and subtly crystallizing on page 51 and the last half of the book elegantly unpacking the implications and consequences of his stance toward the world.Both narrator and narrative "float on the surface" of city life in modern China, dipping into urban malaise and noir, but not abiding there long. Moments of extreme behavior pop up in one or two sentences and then subside again, suggesting tumultuous and violent undercurrents in both psyche and society, but these are persistently pushed to the background like muted strings lending poignancy to an individual man's pursuit of a more-or-less fair compromise with life.I can't judge the translation except to say that it seems very well suited to the narrative and is not at all obtrusive, which surely must be the most important thing. If Ge Fei and Morse bring us more in this vein, I'll be eager to pick it up.

The Invisibility Cloak is an emotionally complex, profoundly reflective journey of a Chinese audiophile’s search for love, meaning, purpose and resolution. It’s remarkable how much Ge Fei packed into these 126 pages.