Revisiting Yiyun Li

Presently I'm through three of the stories in the book and not one of them is less than superb.  This book is a gift and a breath of fresh air, much like A Thousand Years of Good Prayers, intense, compassionate, lovely.

from "A Man Like Him" 
in Gold Boy, Emerald Girl
Yiyun Li

He was not, Teacher Fei replied; it was just that he found the girl's hatred extraordinary. His mother shook her head slightly on the pillow, looking past his face at the ceiling, as if she did not want to embarrass him by confronting his lie.  "The weak-minded choose to hate," she said. "It's the least painful thing to do, isn't it?"

Almost a toss off--this deep insight into the nature and quality of hatred is one of those moments that rings so true.  It is amazing to me the way some rare writers have this ability to see and parse our hearts of stone.

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