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What would you do if you found out your girlfriend laid an egg every time she had sex? Who would you be if you were invited to a party in Beijing but had to make up a brand-new identity for six weeks? Peter Tieryas Liu's Watering Heaven is a travelogue of and requiem for the American dream in all its bizarre manifestations and a surreal, fantastic journey through the streets, alleys, and airports of China.Whether it's a monk who uses acupuncture needles to help him fly or a city filled with rats about to be exterminated so that the mayor can win his reelection bid, be prepared to laugh, swoon, and shudder at the answers Liu offers in this provocative debut collection.
PeterTieryas Liu's ear is expertly attuned to the zeitgeiSt-the tangle of our social networks, our cubicle culture, the language of science-but the brilliant, haunting stories in Watering Heaven are always leading us somewhere deeper yet: that fathomless reservoir of human need and longing. Like flashing neon sigus with some of their letters shorted out, Liu's characters are sundered, yet continue to function, their messages unmistakable as they urgently attempt to communicate with one another and us, again and again.
Short stories are usually not my genre of choice. There have been a couple books in 2012 that have changed my mind a little bit. "Watering Heaven" is most definitely among those ranks. You must read this book. If you like authors who know how to use magical realism to elicit really gorgeous stories, you must read this book. If you like authors like Borges or Murakami that make the unreal seem plausible and even real, you must read this book. If you are an armchair traveler, you must read this book. Here's what I'm trying to say to you, this book is going to appeal to a lot of people and I wholeheartedly suggest that you pick it up and take a look.
This book tells a lot of different stories about a lot of different people. Most of the stories are told from a gentleman's perspective. Some of the stories are from the first person point of view. Others are from the third person point of view. Many of the books have a magical realism element that I absolutely love. One of my favorite stories in the book is about a woman who lays an egg any time she has sex, which for obvious reasons perhaps, seems to drive her lovers away. I know this sounds like a really crazy scenario but the way that Liu writes, you almost find yourself wondering why this doesn't happen to more people. It's a real talent!
I also loved the traveling in this book. Many of the stories take place in California and China. I have not read a lot of stories set in China so those stories were especially interesting to me. You get a great sense of place in this book, which I absolutely love. You can see the cityscape. You can see the street corners and stores and building. You can see the different people that inhabit the world of these characters.
Bottom line: A great collection of vivid short stories!
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted February 2, 2013
I hate most short story collections as they seem more like college experiments than real stories. "Modern lit" is as inspiring as modern art museums which means not at all. Watering Heaven surprised me with meaningful stories and interesting plots. It had a few too many romance stories and some of them were soppy. When the stories are on, they are on. There were a couple that surprised me and the dialogue is witty and fun. The story about a girl who lays eggs tripped me out. There's a story about a guy who resists HIV and impregnates a bunch of hookers which was really sad and hopeful at the same time. The author takes risks with his stories and even if they're not all successful they're worth a read.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.MoniqueK
Posted January 10, 2013
I really enjoyed this book!
The stories seem grounded in reality but then something fantastic will happen completely out of your expectation.
-- For instance, a guy meets a girl and they sort of fall for each other, and then the girl lays a red egg!
The cover of the book is really visually effective. Black and White circles like you are surrounded by different people with different stories in your life, but sometimes, just feel lost in the memories of a black and white films, it's hard to tell what is the true story....
There's long and short stories and I like that I can pick it up and start anywhere. It has a little something for everyone.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.wightknyte
Posted November 29, 2012
I did really enjoy the stories with the more surrealistic aspects in this collection. The description of those, after all, was what had pulled me into picking up the book to begin with. However, for some strange reason, the more realistic stories were the ones that felt the most surreal to me. I'm not sure what it was, the stories are different but there are some common threads. Some of the characters seem to transition between different worlds to the point that they don't seem really belonging to any. Many find the ideas that define their existence hollow, but have nothing to use as an alternative. Often they strive for some kind of connection, which they sometimes find and sometimes don't. I guess those stories just made reality feel surreal. In any event, I loved reading all the stories in this book. They are all extremely good stories and there are moments, sentences, and such that are just downright jaw-dropping.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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