Dorothy Tse

"This palace is a depraved place."

(Full disclosure: I received a free electronic copy of this book for review from the publisher.)

Dorothy Tse's Snow and Shadow is like nothing you've ever read. Fantastical, surreal, and full of unexpected gore, the stories found within these pages are as odd as they are beautifully written. While some of the pieces start off with both feet seemingly planted firmly in this world ("in a vein of apparently innocent realism," to quote translator Nicky Harman) before veering off into another, dreamlike dimension, others flaunt their peculiarities from the opening sentences. As if the unusual and absurd plots aren't enough, Tse creates further distance by giving the stories' protagonists impersonal names: some are just "the boy" or "the girl," while others are named after objects ("Leaf" and "Knife") or simply referred to by letters ("J," "K," and "Q" are especially popular choices). While some of the pieces are a little out there for my taste, there's no denying that Tse is a gifted and masterful storyteller.

The collection is comprised of thirteen stories:

"Woman Fish" - A man's wife inexplicably morphs into a half-human, half-fish hybrid. After a period of trying to maintain their domesticity, he releases her into the ocean.

"The Love Between Leaf and Knife" - In this competition of love, a long-married couple tries to prove that they each love the other the most through a series of escalating (and increasingly violent) demonstrations.

"The Traveling Family" - Hiding atop the roof of a tour bus, a family goes on a road trip of sorts. Dad is lost quickly when he absconds with a gang of thieves who rob said bus; shortly thereafter, Mom joins a troupe of weepings actors, and Sister disappears into the Butterfly House, never to be seen again. Before departing herself, Grandmother reveals the purpose of the trip to Son, the last remaining member of the group.

"Head" - When Tree "loses" his head, his father Wood gives him his own. Now that the family patriarch is headless, Tree must assume control of the family business. But is Tree still Tree now that he's wearing someone else's face?

"Blessed Bodies" - Y-Land has a prosperous sex industry, and not much else. In a land steeped in poverty, johns can barter anything for sex - including their own body parts. ("You'll lose your body here.")

"A Street in the Wind" - A father obsessed with detective shows, a son ditching his studies in favor of origami, and a sister fishing for her "one-of-a-kind" dress's twin are just a few of the hapless residents of this street in the wind.

"Black Cat City" - According to the author Puryatevich Loosai, "when memories start to fade, people get a subconscious urge to kill a cat."

"The Apartment Block"

"Monthly Matters" - In which one town experiences an influx of pregnant women, endangered wolves, and dead birds.

"Bed" - Even in death, beds are elusive; and even those with a soft place to nestle down find that sleep can be difficult to come by.

"The Mute Door" - In the Displacement Apartments, returning home is sometimes such an epic quest that it's like finding the motherland again.

"Bitter Melon" - When a construction company begins to build on farmland that used to birth bitter melons, the tattooed Bitter Melon Girls gather to keep vigil at the site. But is it the farmers' livelihoods they mourn - or something more dangerous?

"Snow and Shadow" - Snow and Shadow are two princesses who unwittingly end up married to each others' fathers - and pregnant by the same man.

The titular "Snow and Shadow" is by far my favorite. With fairy tale elements, it reads like a surreal version of "Snow White." I also enjoyed "Woman Fish," and can't help but wonder whether Tse chose the visage of a fish because their faces (much like those of birds) are so different from those of humans - unable to display emotions in ways recognized by people; hard to read; alien, even. "The Traveling Family," "Head," and "Blessed Bodies" are also quite engaging.

"The Apartment Block" is the only story I struggled through (as evidenced by my lack of a summary). The characters don't have any names, just initials ("O," "J," "D"), which made the plot terribly difficult to follow, and I soon gave up.

Since rape, sexual exploitation, incest, and severed body parts are common elements, Snow and Shadow isn't for the faint of heart. Ditto if you enjoy your short fiction with a plausible plot and easily discerned message. The review title (taken from "Snow and Shadow") pretty much sums it up: "This palace is a depraved place." Enter at your own risk.

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