Reader's Diary #2226- Sheung-King: You Are Eating An Orange. You Are Naked.

Sheung-King's You Are Eating An Orange. You Are Naked. is the 2nd novel I've read lately in which I dislike a character more than the protagonist does. As this one's told in the 2nd person, I guess that means I dislike myself.

It's light on plot, but essentially it's an interracial love story between a Chinese man (the narrator) and a Japanese woman (the reader). I found her to be disrespectful of him, sometimes disappearing without an explanation and being vaguely insulting ("you talk weird"). She eventually seemed to lighten up, but I'm not exactly clear why. Nor am I completely understanding of why he put up with it all except for love. 

This all makes it sound like I didn't enjoy it, which isn't true. In many ways, it's beautifully written. As I've said numerous times, I quite love the 2nd person perspective. Plus, Sheung-King's sentences, like that quirky, but beautiful title, are typically brief but suffice. There's a lot of philosophizing, story-telling, and conversation here, and it reminded me a little of Before Sunrise, which came as no surprise then when that movie was referenced. I'm not sure I'd have had the patience for a longer version of the book, but at slightly over 180 pages it didn't wear out its welcome.