Thursday, March 22, 2007

Book Review: The Girl Who Played Go, by Shan Sa

How strange it was on the day I stumbled across Chess by Stefan Zweig to also stumble across The Girl Who Played Go by Shan Sa. This novel is set in 1930s Japanese occupied Manchuria. It is about a young woman who is a master Go player, a Japanese soldier disguised as a Chinese traveler, who challenges the the girl who plays go to a match - and two young revolutionaries. The narrative is set within the framework of a game of go. It is written in two voices, that of the girl and that of her opponent, the soldier. The novel evolves as the game evolves.

The young woman develops a complex relationship with the two young revolutionaries....she has a physical relationship with one of them, but she needs the relationship with both of them for that to happen (I'm not going to try to explain this....read the book). At the same time, she learns about the soldier by the way he plays go, and although they do not even know one another's names, they are drawn closer and closer together.

This book reminded me of two other authors - Isaac Babel (particularly his accounts of riding with the Cossocks) and Italo Calvino (If on a Winters Night a Traveler, etc), and I found those associations pleasing. There is plenty historical detail, yet at the same time, it is written in a spare and lyrical prose style.

I did not know what to expect from The Girl Who Played Go, but I was quickly drawn into the novel and into the lives and thoughts of the characters. I'm looking forward to reading more Shan Sa - she writes in French the The Girl was the first of her works to be translated into English.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

ok I'll guess without reading the book as yet - the revolutionaries are conjoined twins???
Muppie

Karen said...

This sounds fascinating! I'm going to add it to my wishlist. Great review, Mr. A.

And I never would have thought of the possibility that the two revolutionaries might be conjoined twins? Hmmm, if it's true all the more intriguing...

mister anchovy said...

they aren't conjoined...
"....how could I stop seeing Jing who feeds my attraction to Min?....My relationship with Jing is more subtle than any physical excitement...abstinence is the sensuous pleasure of the soul......Without Jing, my couplings with his rival would somehow become vulgar. Without Min, Jing no longer exists."

Candy Minx said...

Well you did say that there were two people playing go, no? This sounds like an awesome find! I find the novels with games featured in them fascinating. It's tiny little genre in literature but so interesting. You are lucky to find the books and on the same day! Your excerpt sure does sound french! Ooh la la!