Frog

November 3, 2014
Winner of the 2012 Nobel Prize in Literature, Yan (Red Sorghum) is one of China’s most visible and controversial writers. In his latest novel, he depicts the implementation of China’s national family planning policy and its effect on the inhabitants of a rural village. Through the letters of Wan Zu, aka “Tadpole,” Yan charts the village’s rise from the lean years of the early 1960s, when children ate coal to alleviate hunger, through the boom years of the aughts, with BMWs and Mercedes-Benzes common sights on former mud roads. Midwife Gugu, the aunt of Tadpole and determined Communist Party member, doggedly supports the modern one-child policy and in doing so attracts the wrath of villagers slow to disregard tradition and superstition. When Tadpole’s wife, Wang Renmei, becomes pregnant after illegally removing an IUD, Gugu performs an abortion, during which Renmei dies. Subsequently, Tadpole marries “Little Lion,” Gugu’s assistant at the commune health center. At an advanced age and through unconventional means, Little Lion gives birth to a long-awaited boy, who inspires Tadpole to write a long-planned play—entitled Frog—which concludes the novel and dramatizes the themes of modernization, obstetric policy, and the bonds of family. Goldblatt’s translation is inviting, while Yan’s tale deftly explores the human toll of national policy and historical forces.

By and large, Graeme Malcolm does justice to this Chinese novel. The work is involved and emotional enough to require an experienced narrator who relates the pathos behind each plot event, especially considering that many listeners will have nothing more than a passing understanding of the culture in which the story takes place. Malcolm delivers a powerful performance, but it's not consistently paced. Speaking too quickly near the beginning of the audiobook, he then slows down and evens out within the first hour. The narration pace continues to fluctuate but never for very long. This inconsistency doesn't prevent comprehension or reflection, but it does mar the listening experience. N.J.B. © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine