Xuebo Guo

This book is made of four novellas: “The Desert Wolf,” “The Sand Fox,” “Sand Rites,” and “Sand Burial.” All four stories take place on the Horqin Sandlands on the edge of the barren desert and tell of the struggles of both animals and humans in the desert. There are some mystical elements to the stories, and I enjoyed all of them.

"The Desert Wolf" is the story of a family (father, daughter, and grandson) and their strange connection to a female wolf. A researcher comes to the desert in search of a mythical city, crosses the old man’s path, and learns of their sadness and their bizarre story.

"The Sand Fox" tells the story of a man, Old Sandy, who along with his daughter live alone on the edge of the desert and try to combat desertification and to protect the remaining wildlife. The village elder comes to Old Sandy's lands to hunt but doesn’t understand how tenuous the survival of the animals is nor the connection of Old Sandy to them.

In "Sand Rites," we read about two aged shamans, one male and one female, and another researcher who comes to their area to record the historic Mongolian dance called the Andai. The researcher asks the male shaman to lead the village residents in the dance. However, the man is obsessed with being the first to grow red broom corn millet in the sandlands. Instead the researcher turns to the woman to lead the old and complicated dance. The shamans connection is a long, but complicated one, and the resurrection of the Andai--it has been many years since either has performed it--leads their thoughts back to each other.

The final story is “Sand Burial” and it tells the story of a monk and a man, a banished intellectual, who comes to the desert to study the plants found there. The man, Whitesea, moves in with the old monk who has created a green oasis in the desert. The story is told from the perspective of the man’s ex-wife who comes into the desert to find out what happened to her ex-husband and in the process learns about the monk and his white dog/wolf.

This book is reminiscent of Jack London's stories. I found the setting fascinating since I know so little of this area of China. I recommend this book if one can find a copy of it.

Note: There are some editing or maybe translation issues with the book. The problems weren't extensive though, so I don't think it will distract too much from the enjoyment of the stories.… (mehr)