remaining land

‧Starting from "us", we must clear ourselves from forgetfulness, uncover the wounds and pains hidden under the veil of time, and reconcile with them.
A chronicle of pain and memory, spanning the vast expanse of time, reveals the regrets and hurts hidden in life, helping us understand and overcome setbacks. (Special preface by Tong Weige, Zhang Yijie, You Jing, Han Lizhu; recommended by Zhu Jiahan and He Shufang) An airmail letter from thirty years ago connects countless lives.
The elderly woman who is the family's financial and emotional supporter, the depressed high school teacher, the eldest daughter who pursues identity but becomes an alcoholic, the second daughter who always plays the role of a sandwich in relationships, the best friend who emigrated due to an unexpected pregnancy, the son who crossed the sea to Taiwan to trace his roots, and the political survivors who participated in the election. Through a dream, a few letters, and intertwined journeys, the pain is awakened one by one...
In this story, each person is wrapped in unspeakable pain. Even without the possibility of memory, they violently bear the hurt and pain. What is the relationship between them? "The Rest" uses a gentle and unique perspective to care for the span of time and understand the frustrations of each other.
History isn't always generous; it always fulfills the reality of human constant pressure. Therefore, novels exist to remember the empty landscapes that are about to be forgotten, thereby delaying the lingering rainstorms that will return. This is Gu Yuling's novel "The Remaining Land": ultimately, this corner, a quiet space where all the weighty words are left blank, also preserves a warm empathy and illumination between "I" and "others." In this novel, which begins with family, gender, and Taiwan, Tong Weiguo, through these three elements, trans-family, trans-gender, and trans-Taiwanese novels, a writing strategy that "dares to tease (taboos)" without being clingy or afraid of change, is truly remarkable. Like many novelists who have experienced profound historical trauma and digested and transcended it through writing (I'm thinking, uh, Milan, Kundera), Gu Yuling forces the banal dichotomy of good and evil to become unfamiliar; is evil, or good, simply an extension of each other? The world presented in You Jing's "The Rest" appears to function normally, but beneath the surface, everyone harbors a black hole that cannot be shared or shared with others. Han Lizhu

2022-04-11

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