A funny hero!

Mo Yan proposes to follow the destiny of Jintong - Golden Child - and his large family. Bruised by the history of China - crossing right through the wars and changes of power, government, and social hierarchy - the tribe of "Shagguan" must fight to survive, keep their dignity and protect the only descendant male: our famous hero.

Hero, really? We already knew the "Anti-Hero" at the European as Bel-Ami or Hernani, but they kept a certain charm or enough passion to be loved player.

Jintong is "obsessed prodigy" who often takes advantage of the force or the power of his entourage.

And Mo Yan manages to make me hate the main character! Surrounded by iconic figures, wonderful, strong, enigmatic skinny bastard ... It is the only downside, yet sumptuous, a China undergoing rapid changes.

The writing is subtle, full of Asian culture, the author, who also manages to convey his vision of his country, but also its retreat from civilization in which he grew up.

Throughout the book, we understand how the politics of a country can influence the daily life of its inhabitants. How important it is to survive, to be "good side" of my power. How important it is to fight, to be enough of "the other side" of power. And above all, how important it is to understand the power and authority can be reversed easily and question all previous positions.