The Cave Man

Set in post–Cultural Revolution China, Xiao's crushing debut follows the sad trajectory of Ja Feng, who has been broken by Mao's labor camps. After attempting to expose a murder committed by a prison officer, he is crammed into a minuscule prison cell in the harshest of solitary confinement. Now a walking skeleton prone to screaming fits, Ja Feng is eventually released and cast into the world as an outsider, barely able to function. Eventually he tries to reunite with Li Xiani, his remarried ex-wife, and the daughter he has never met. The book meanders through years and across continents in a life that is heroic in its resiliency. Xiao, who served seven years in a labor camp for “having accidentally torn a poster of Mao,” writes in dark, brooding prose and takes a dim view of Mao's China, though he manages to hold out hope for the transformative power of art and love. It's an excellent and moving novel, but don't come looking for a pick-me-up. (Dec.)