The lost and forgotten languages of Shanghai - Ruiyan Xu

Is a book about a man who loses his ability to speak in Chinese, but recalls broken bits of English he used when he was still a kid living in the US. His wife does not speak English and neither does their young son. The beginning of the book is very realistic, very vivid. Ruiyan Xu is an excellent describer of events and places. You can actually taste the sunshine and dust during the first part of the book.

But then the all so traditional love triangle sets in. There is nothing loveable about Dr Neal, other than her ability of speaking English - she is American, afterall - but somehow Li Jing, the man who lost his primary language, falls for her, while his wife Meiling works herself to the bone trying to save his company and their family.

The best books are the ones that are able to raise emotions, in both good and bad, and this book does just that. By the end of it you just hope you could strangle Dr Neal and make everything better, but you can’t. The lost and forgotten languages of Shanghai is a very realistic story of a love triangle and it ends in tragedy. One of it’s main characters becomes a side character by the end of it, and one of the lesser characters is brought forward to the limelight.

For the lovers of Shanghai, love triangles, realistic storytelling, careful descriptions and cultural novels, this is just the thing for you. If you can’t settle for compromises, then don’t read this; it will only get you annoyed.

☆☆☆☆