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A Map Of Betrayal (2014)

by Ha Jin(Favorite Author)

3.36 of 5 Votes: 5

ISBN

0307911608 (ISBN13: 9780307911605)

languge

English

genre

Historical Fiction

publisher

Pantheon

review 1: The characters did not ring true and seemed stupid to me for being so supposedly smart. Every aspect of the plot was predictable. I could handle that but the majority of the book seemed to be about food. Almost every other page had a description of what the characters were eating at any given time. Cut out the food and the book would be half of its length. I get that food is important in Chinese culture but this was ridiculous.
review 2: A Chinese spy who leaves his life and family at home in order to work as a deep cover agent who translates for the CIA. Gary Shang who is torn between two countries. The novel oscillates back and forth between Gary's daughter who lives in the aftermath of her father's subsequent outing and imprisonment for spying against the Un... moreited States of America AND Gary Shang's life of espionage and domesticity. The two story-lines are sometimes worked clumsily and I am not sure that I needed Gary Shang's daughter's POV. While her character is interesting enough, the real story rests with Gary and his troubled life as an agent. This is the first time I've read a book by Ha Jin. The writing is simple and straightforward. It felt rather flat...err..maybe that is not the right word. The writing felt direct. There is a kind of purity to his writing where it feels like a straight line, something solid, sure, and reliable. It feels effortless and that in itself is probably something that requires a tremendous amount of effort to achieve as a writer. I look forward to returning to some of his earlier works. less

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