“The Invisible Cloak” by Ge Fei (translated by Canaan Morse)

This was a strange little novel, originally written in Chinese. Set in modern day Beijing, it is narrated by an audiophile who builds custom-made stereo systems for businessmen and academics in the city. He has to deal with a sister and brother in law who are pains in the ass, he has been divorced by his wife who had been cheating on him with her boss, his mother, who predicted the divorce even before the marriage, dies suddenly, he has a tempestuous relationship with his only friend in the world, he is constantly being setup on excruciating blind dates, and he lives in a small apartment, owned by his sister, that has a huge crack in the exterior wall, which lets in the cold, dirty air, and mosquitos. The only thing that he loves in the world is listening to classical music, particularly Beethoven and Brahms. The tale gets weirder from there. He is introduced to a mysterious gangster who commissions him to create the world’s best sound-system, sparing no expense. The narrator uses his lifesavings to buy the equipment in the hopes of using the profits to buy his own place, because he is being kicked out of his apartment by his sister. The writing is plain and subtle. The descriptions of Beijing and modern Chinese society are rich. One finds oneself rooting and hoping for the narrator as he goes through all his travails. The story ends strangely, with plenty of mystery and ambiguous loose ends, but the tale is definitely one worth reading.