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A review by sydneyreviews
Candy by Mian Mian
challenging
dark
funny
sad
fast-paced
3.0
I kind of liked it. Candy is a semi-autobiographical peek into the sleazy, druggy landscape of Shenzen in the 1990s. I have no problem with the content and found it to be unique in its setting, even if it is not surprising.
But formatting and awkward translations have made this a needlessly confusing read. The plot is confusing enough on its own — random incidents seem to whack us on the head every 10 pages to keep us awake. For some reason, they decided to use random numbering instead of paragraph dividers. No discernible reason, just for the kicks I guess. The translator or the author did an awful job of denoting changes in character perspectives. It jumps with absolutely no warning and detracts from the reading experience. It’s just far too disorganized for me to recommend. I appreciate the random lesbian couple shoutout though.
But formatting and awkward translations have made this a needlessly confusing read. The plot is confusing enough on its own — random incidents seem to whack us on the head every 10 pages to keep us awake. For some reason, they decided to use random numbering instead of paragraph dividers. No discernible reason, just for the kicks I guess. The translator or the author did an awful job of denoting changes in character perspectives. It jumps with absolutely no warning and detracts from the reading experience. It’s just far too disorganized for me to recommend. I appreciate the random lesbian couple shoutout though.