Wolf Totem

by: Jiang Rong; translated by Howard Goldblatt

Published by: The Penguin Press HC

Reviewed by Julie Failla Earhart

When retired academician Jiang Rong’s first novel, Wolf Totem, was released in China three years ago, it became the country’s literary darling. Sales went through the roof, breaking the majority of sales records. In 2007, the novel received the first Man Asian Literary Prize. Along the way it picked up other major literary awards. Now, at long last, Rong’s work has been translated into English by Howard Goldblatt, published in the U.S., and received additional critical acclaim.

Wolf Totem is a semi-autobiographical account of Rong’s 1960’s experiences living in Inner Mongolian. More than anything, this book’s basic plot is two fold: man versus nature and nature versus nature. The protagonist, Chen Zhen, leaves Beijing to live with the nomadic Mongolians on the pristine grassland. There he learns of the fierce rivalry between man, the earth, and the wolf.

I had such high hopes for this book. It sounded so wonderful. And the few review posted on Amazon.com were glowing. Sadly, however, Rong’s tale did not live up to its expectations. I thought the writing did not shine nor did the plot grab me by the collar and sweep me away. It was more plodding than mesmerizing. I must admit, I only read 125 pages and that was like pulling teeth.

While I did enjoy the descriptions of “wolf survival 101” on the frozen grassland, the characters, especially, Chen Zhen, were difficult to place and hard to care about. There was almost no depth to their dialogue, their actions, or their thought processes. I know the point was that the reader should sympathize with the wolf, the gazelles, and the horses, and I did. Just not enough to carry me through Wolf Totem’s remaining 400 pages.

Armchair Interviews says: Heed this reviewer’s comments.