A Beijing-born writer wraps a coming-of-age tale around a riveting account of the months-long student protests and the horrific violence that followed.
This month marked the 35th anniversary of the June Fourth Incident, which is known outside of China as the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre. “Tiananmen Square,” a new autobiographical novel by Lai Wen, the pseudonym of a Beijing-born immigrant living in Britain, wraps an emotionally satisfying coming-of-age tale around a riveting account of the months-long student protests and the horrific, fateful night that Chinese troops cracked down with bullets and tanks.
The novel’s deliberate but surehanded pacing gives these formative moments in Lai’s adolescence an emotional resonance. When Gen downplays Lai’s achievement after she wins an essay content, the reader feels the sting, too. When Lai discovers that Gen is sleeping with another college classmate, her heartbreak is ours.
Such immersive moments are occasionally punctured by attempts to westernize the prose for mass consumption. Lai and her friends sometimes talk like American teens. Trying to impress Gen among his college friends, Lai says, “Hey, this is pretty rad. … I really dig this scene!”Nonetheless the book’s arresting and bloody climax delivers a powerful punch. Lai recounts the historical record after the shots have been fired, killing unarmed students.
While lengthy, the novel is worthwhile, and not just because of the anniversary of one of the most infamous protest crackdowns in modern history. One can’t help but think of student protests elsewhere, including theprotests on campuses around the United States. “Tiananmen Square” reminds us that while the hearts and actions of student protesters may be imperfect, their anguish and desire to be heard are deeply felt.
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