Elsewhere: 'Wonderful writing' Sarah Hall

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The cosmopolitan nature of “Elsewhere” adds richness and depth to the narratives. The stories take place in various time periods and locations, such as New York City and Chiang Mai, showcasing Yan Ge’s ability to navigate different cultural contexts. This diversity allows readers to explore a range of perspectives and experiences, immersing themselves in the intricacies of different cultures. Having already made a name for herself in Chinese, the prodigiously talented Yan Ge now reveals an equally compelling voice in English. The denizens of Elsewhere are misfits and dropouts, perpetually at odds with their surroundings in a world that refuses to accommodate them. A highly accomplished collection that is equal parts shimmering wit and startling emotional depth.” —Jeremy Tiang, author of State of Emergency The seventh, "How I Fell In Love With...", is a story of a 27yo Chinese-born woman living in Ireland, struggling to reconcile her life with herself, and starting to obsess with a young man she met briefly, just before he passes away. The story could he interesting, as far as it touches upon the issues of what is a person and how much of it can one learn from social media. However, the overlay of self wallowing victimhood expressed by the protagonist just leaves a bad aftertaste, making the story difficult to like. Wish List: The very thing that I loved about the stories was the thing that I wish were different. I loved the theme but I got tired of feeling off balance and removed from a grounded perspective over and over again. I suspect though, that this was the point so it's my own personal hangup and not a comment on the excellence of the stories. I have also never read a collection of short stories on my e-reader. Typically, when I read short stories, I put a slip of paper at the end of the story so I have a ‘size-estimate’, and I didn’t realize before this read, how much I depended on that slip as a pacing device. I might have felt less off-balance if I’d been reading a physical book.

It wasn't easy to rate short story collections since not every collection gave me the same feeling. Each story had such a varied impact on me, and I was impressed with the differences in each story. However, I found several of the stories difficult to get through and quite dull, making me not engaged most of the time.

Table of Contents

Magical realism of the best kind, where the spectacular is paired with just enough irony and daffy humor to keep it grounded on earth—or whichever world this fun and beguiling book takes place.” He stood up and walked into the Little House. The light was still on. Sister Du was curled up on a booth seat, snoring. I watched through the window as Old Stone went behind the bar, grabbed a Tsingtao, and returned. Elsewhere” is Yan Ge’s debut novel written in English, showcasing her talent as a storyteller. The book takes readers on a journey through various time periods and locations, immersing them in a world that is both familiar and foreign. The stories in “Elsewhere” are jangly and eclectic, filled with dissonances and unexpected twists.

In Ireland her son was born and then they moved to Norwich in 2018, where Ge still lives. I ask her about the story Shooting an Elephant, where a Chinese woman, Shanshan, gets annoyed by Dubliners shouting “ni hao” (Chinese for “hello”) at her in the street, or asking her to read their Chinese tattoos. Did these things happen to Ge in Ireland?They continued arguing while the second round of food was brought out. This time: sliced beef in chili oil, stewed beef brisket in casserole, spiced calf ribs with Sichuan peppercorn, and beef offal soup. As someone who can read both Chinese and English, I am fascinated by how smoothly the code-switching is being presented in her stories. And most importantly, how she can smoothly switch between context where you know characters are speaking in Chinese but they are written in English dialogues while sometimes, Pinyin is used and sometimes Chinese characters are used. The swift and smooth transitions between these use of different language proves the point Yan Ge wanted to express where language is like a signifier, a tool for storytelling instead of an indication of authenticity or particular identity.