Book Review: China Dream

I recently finished reading China Dream by Ma Jian. It is the story of Ma Daode, a corrupt government official who is appointed director of the China Dream Bureau. He comes up with a plan to insert chips into people’s brains that delete all their memories and dreams and replace them with a shared China dream. As we follow his progression through the story, he struggles to escape his own violent past as he reaches for this “dream” future.

This book combines the corruption and lecherous characters of Pachinko with the dystopian drama of 1984. I read it for my book club, and it is very worth the read. You may find yourself hating Ma Daode—in fact, I’d be surprised if you didn’t—but that is part of the beauty of this novel. Following the story of such an unlikeable character was fun. I found myself grimacing rather than laughing along as I read through the book.

At the end of the novel, the author provides some historical and personal background information that I also found intriguing. It made me want to dive deeper into Chinese history myself. I recommend this book to anyone looking for a can’t look away even though you want to read. You can grab your copy here.

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