WaitingWinner of the PEN/Faulkner Award • National Book Award Winner • Pulitzer Prize Finalist • A New York Times Notable Book From the widely acclaimed author—a rich and atmospheric novel about a man living in two worlds, struggling with the conflicting claims of two utterly different women. The demands of human longing contend with the weight of centuries of custom in acclaimed author Ha Jin’s Waiting, a novel of unexpected richness and universal resonance. Every summer Lin Kong, a doctor in the Chinese Army, returns to his village to end his loveless arranged marriage with the humble and touchingly loyal Shuyu. But each time Lin must return to the city to tell Manna Wu, the educated, modern nurse he loves, that they will have to postpone their engagement once again. Caught between the conflicting claims of these two utterly different women and trapped by a culture in which adultery can ruin lives and careers, Lin has been waiting for eighteen years. This year, he promises will be different. "Ha Jin profoundly understands the conflict between the individual and society, between the timeless universality of the human heart and constantly shifting politics of the moment. With wisdom, restraint, and empathy for all his characters, he vividly reveals the complexities and subtleties of a world and a people we desperately need to know."—Judges' Citation, National Book Award |
Contents
3 | |
Section 2 | 21 |
Section 3 | 31 |
Section 4 | 37 |
Section 5 | 44 |
Section 6 | 48 |
Section 7 | 55 |
Section 8 | 62 |
Section 21 | 169 |
Section 22 | 176 |
Section 23 | 185 |
Section 24 | 190 |
Section 25 | 195 |
Section 26 | 203 |
Section 27 | 212 |
Section 28 | 221 |
Section 9 | 71 |
Section 10 | 76 |
Section 11 | 81 |
Section 12 | 86 |
Section 13 | 97 |
Section 14 | 105 |
Section 15 | 110 |
Section 16 | 120 |
Section 17 | 134 |
Section 18 | 140 |
Section 19 | 151 |
Section 20 | 160 |
Section 29 | 236 |
Section 30 | 245 |
Section 31 | 250 |
Section 32 | 258 |
Section 33 | 266 |
Section 34 | 276 |
Section 35 | 283 |
Section 36 | 289 |
Section 37 | 299 |
Section 38 | 309 |
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Common terms and phrases
afternoon army baby began Bensheng bicycle bowl brother Changchun chest chopsticks Commissar Wei Comrade couple daughter dinner divorce his wife doctor Dong dormitory eyes face father feel feet felt front Geng Geng Yang girl Goose hair Haiyan hand happy Harbin head heard heart Hegang Honggan hospital husband Jin Tian judge knew laughed Leaves of Grass Liang Meng Lin and Manna Lin asked Lin Kong Lin's looked Manna Wu marriage married mind Ming Chen mouth never night nurses pair Pingping Ran Su rape roommates scallions Second Donkey seemed Shenyang shrimp Shuyu sleep smiled snow Snow Goose Songhua River stood stopped talk tears tell thought told took tried turned village voice wait walk week woman women wondered wontons words young yuan