"Waiting" by Ha Lin

“A Love story novel and the New York Times Notable book”

How will you feel if your parents force you to marry someone unknown to you, someone to slap your own joys and liberty? How will it be to leave your girl friend, with whom you had made big promises of being together at all odds of life? Why do divorces take place? Or is it the man’s head that makes him leave his woman? The real story of rural family relationships & the complex yet alarmingly primitive fabric of provincial life of china are illustrated by the Ha Jin in his second novel, ‘Waiting‘. It is a story of pure love, which has bagged numerous awards like National Book award, Pen/Faulkner award and Pulitzer Prize Finalist.

Lin Kong’s parents mailed him a black & white snapshot of Shuyu, his proposed bride. He agreed to marry her, feeling that she was a fine, normal girl. However, when he returned home in the next winter & found his fiancée an old lady in her forties with wrinkled face, leathery hand he was shocked and devastated. He remained away from his wife for two decade after the birth of their only daughter Huo.

At the same time Manna Wu, nurse of the army hospital where Doctor Lin used to work, had fallen in love with Kong for many years, still waiting for him to divorce his wife so that they could stay together legally in the eye of Chinese communist society. In Chinese commune to get divorced was a social stigma. So social norms and values were acting as a barrier in the way of their love.

Kong and his wife together appeared to courthouse for divorce many times. However, she had always changed her mind at the last moment when Judge asked if she would accept a divorce. Thereby, Kong didn’t get the divorce chit form the court.

The language of the novel is quite soft & flows smoothly. After reading the book you will realize how painful waiting can be when it yields to nothing at the end. If you are ardent of love story stuffs, ‘Waiting‘ may be just your type.

Dhruba Sharma
sharmadhruba@gmail.com