Five Spice Street

January 19, 2009
The inhabitants of Five Spice Street gossip, spy and seduce one another in this lovely surrealist romp. At the center of the drama is Madame X, a mysterious figure who has a strange hold on her neighbors' imaginations. She could be anywhere from 22 to 50 years old, according to her neighbors, and “her notions were deeply at odds with the traditions of Five Spice Street.” Much of the fascination comes from her affair with Mr. Q. Meanwhile, a figure known only as “the widow” spends her time protecting the neighborhood from Madame X and Mr. Q by reading their letters, investigating their rooms and making bold, if unsubstantiated, claims about their character. The translators do a marvelous job of preserving the prose's lyricism, which enhances the surreal scenes that seem to be the stuff of everyday life on Five Spice Street. Xue's stridently weird and vainglorious characters are quite a bizarre retinue, and the air of paranoia and mystery is perfectly captured.

March 1, 2009
This erudite work, Chinese writer Can Xue's first novel to be completely translated into English, takes supposition as its premise. Readers are introduced to the mysterious Madam X, a married woman in her midthirties with a young son. The townsfolk living on Five Spice Street, who include a widow, a writer, and a young coal worker, all contribute their theories as to who Madam X is and what she represents. As the work progresses, it is discovered that she and her husband are former government workers who now run a snack shop. More interesting is the buzz surrounding Madam X's affair with Mr. Q. Every aspect of the lives of Madam X, her husband, and her lover are brought into question, and, like many Chinese writers, Can Xue focuses on the sexual aspect. Not for the average reader, this novel comprises nearly a dozen different chapters that appear more like a hodgepodge of lengthy observations and commentaries, written in a convoluted stream-of-consciousness style that recalls the work of Gao Xingjian ("Soul Mountain"). Requiring great patience, study, and discussion, this work is best suited to academic libraries with strong Asian or world literature collections.Shirley N. Quan, Orange Cty. P.L., Santa Ana, CA

Copyright 2009 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 1, 2009
There are plenty of pungent goings-on at Five Spice Street, the odd locale ruled by an enigmatic Madam X in Xues first novel-length work to be published in English. No one knows the age of Madam X, who holds undeniable sway over those around her. Shes romantically linked to Mr. Q (a letter-perfect match, no doubt). Inhabitants of Spice Street find an ally in a woman known only as the widow, who probes the lives of Madam X and Mr. Q, drawing brazen, albeit unjustified, conclusions about the pair. Who is the mysterious Madam X? Is she a mistress of the occult or merely a modern-day manipulator? What is it about her that prompts others to probe their souls? Xue (Dialogues in Paradise, 1989) is the pseudonym of Chinese novelist and short-story writer Deng Xiaohua. Here she blends surrealism la Dali with a hefty dose of existential angst. Prickly and provocative, Five Spice Street poses penetrating questions about the search for identity and the definition of self.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)