Becoming Inspector Chen by Qiu Xiaolong is not a mystery novel, rather it is about ordinary people surviving what life throws at them, like the Cultural Revolution in China.
Location: mostly set in Shanghai with a sidestep to Beijing.
Becoming Inspector Chen synopsis
Inspector Chen is excluded from a poetry case as he awaits possible disciplinary action, leaving him to reflect on his career . . . but does his past hold a clue to the poetry case?
After a number of grueling cases Chief Inspector Chen is facing mounting pressure from his superiors, many of whom are concerned with where his loyalties lie. What’s more, he is excluded from an investigation into an incendiary poem posted on an online forum.
Wracked with self-doubt and facing an anxious wait to discover the fate of his career, Chen is left to reflect on the events that have led to where he is now – from his amateur investigations as a child during the Cultural Revolution, to his very first case on the Shanghai Police Force.
Has fighting for the Chinese people and the morals he believes in put him in conflict with the Party? Why is he being kept away from the new case? As well as his career, is his life now also at risk?
Book Review
“There is always a loss of meaning / in what we say or do not say, / but also a meaning / in the loss of the meaning.”
The case in the ‘now’ revolves around an anti-Party poem; a poem that very much challenges the waters that Chen is carefully trying to navigate while working as an inspector in the police department of Shanghai. I liked the frequent quotes of poems. They were well placed and gave more meaning and flavor to the story.Â
Chen works at the mercy of the Party leaders and his investigations need to be concluded in the best interests of the Party. That is, the investigations he does in the other books in the Inspector Chen Cao series. Chen grew up during the Cultural Revolution that made his father repent for having lived the American bourgeois lifestyle. As a result, Chen became one of the Black Class. The first part of Becoming Inspector Chen reads like a biography infused with Chinese history lessons.
Because of the many time jumps in the narrative, it took me some time to get into the story. At first, it seemed like there was no connection between the chapters, almost as if you are reading anecdotes from someone’s life that provide a background and setting to the meager story in the now. Some chapters I liked very much, for example, those featuring Ling and Mr. Ma, and others were boring, especially when Chen was mostly an observer to conversations of others.
In the end, all storylines do come together. Becoming Inspector Chen is not so much about solving a crime, but more about the wellbeing of people living in Red Dust Lane. After this book, you’ll understand how Chen came to be the person he is now and why he handles his cases as he does. Here comes the crux: this is only interesting to those that love the Inspector Chen Cao series.
There is no suspense involved. Don’t start reading this book expecting a mystery novel. Even though there is some light crime-solving, the story is more about the effect that the political and social situation in China has on ordinary people’s lives. The writing style is quite laid-back and slow; a style that is familiar to readers of fiction from Asia. As a non-Chinese person, you can easily understand what is going on as many things are explained. I do wonder how much of this was added in the translation as I assume a Chinese reader wouldn’t enjoy the many explanations.
While I am not overly enthusiastic about Becoming Inspector Chen – partly because of the slow pace that is not quite contemplating nor hardcore crime-solving – I did like some of the chapters. I learned many things through the insights provided in the lives of those living on Red Dust Lane. In such a short novel Qiu Xiaolong manages to introduce a lively cast of characters.
I’d like to repeat that this is not a mystery novel, even though all chapters lead to a crime being solved. If you are aware of this before jumping into the story, you can appreciate the story more.
Interested?
Pre-order your copy of Becoming Inspector Chen from Amazon (available 2 March 2021).
Book details
Title: Becoming Inspector Chen
Author: Qiu Xiaolong
Publisher: Severn House
Pages: 240
ISBN13: 9780727890443
Publication date: 2 March 2021
Many thanks to Severn House and NetGalley for a digital ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
