Book Review: Ninth Building (2022) by Zou Jingzhi

Book Review:

 Ninth Building (2022)

 by Zou Jingzhi

  Congratulation to Time Shelter by Bulgarian author Georgi Gospodinov and his translator Angela Rodel, winners of the 2023 International Booker Prize for the English language translation of Time Shelter.  I was able to check out the Audiobook from the LAPL hours after the announcement, which should give you an idea of the ambient audience for Booker Prize winners among the citizens of Los Angeles/patrons of the LAPL.   I don't love it so far.

  Meanwhile, I'm finally getting my Ebook holds for books from the longlist, many of which weren't even out in the US when the list was announced.  Ninth Building, by Chinese author Zou Jingzhi, was the first title I've managed to obtain.  It's an episodic work of autofiction about the author's experience as one of the so-called "educated youths" who were instrumental to enacting the terrors of the cultural revolution, then essentially deported to the provinces in an attempt to regain control by the Chinese Communist Party.  It was a fascinating, horrible time, up there with other fascinating/horrible 20th century world events- well- I won't put a list together but the cultural revolution is like a top 20 world historical event for sure in the 20th century.

  Like much Chinese literature that makes it out of China, Ninth Building was vetted by the CCP- this means it bears the characteristics of all 20th century "Official" literature- authors are allowed to critique historical events within the context of individuals who are not "good" government officials, but the government itself is never criticized.  So, Ninth Building is interesting, but not very revealing about the subject.