The Funeral Cryer by Wenyan Lu

 The Funeral Cryer by Wenyan Lu

An Yu's Braised Pork meets Flaubert's Madame Bovary

in this unforgettable, tragi-comic tale of one woman's mid-life

 re-awakening in contemporary rural China.

The Funeral Cryer by Wenyan Lu was published on 4th May 2023 by Allen and Unwin. My thanks to the author and publisher for sending me a copy to review and to Random Book Tours for inviting me to take part on the tour.

Synopsis

The Funeral Cryer long ago accepted the mundane realities of her life:

 avoided by fellow villagers because of the stigma attached to her job

 as a professional mourner and under-appreciated by The Husband, 

whose fecklessness has pushed the couple close to the brink of break-up.

 But just when things couldn't be bleaker,

 The Funeral Cryer takes a leap of faith

 - and in so doing things start to take a surprising turn for the better . . .

Dark, moving, and wry, The Funeral Cryer is both an illuminating depiction of a 'left behind' society - and proof that it's never too late to change your life.

My Review

This is one of those rare stories that gives you an insight into Chinese Culture, and in this instance the role of a Funeral Cryer  as a profession which is linked to the  wealth and posterity of the grieving family.

The story is based around the funeral cryer, her family and their relationships. one intriguing aspect is that no-one in the story has a name other than what they are ie, The Husband, The Daughter, The Barber etc. At first I found this disconcerting when trying to build images of the characters as , in my mind, this gave them a mask rather than a clear image.

The Funeral Cryer is a woman who accepts her lot in life, shunned by the villagers because of her profession which, even though essential , is deemed as bringing bad luck. It is so sad that the minute she started in this role she lost her friends and the only person who spends time with her is The Barber. her husband is lazy, doesn't work and is potentially having an affair, all of which she accepts as her lot in life, though she consequently does change later on in the book as a consequence.

This is a slow and thoughtful story, that takes you on a steady pace through an evolving part of The Funeral Cryer's life in what is a dark and thought provoking tale.

About the Author

Originally from Shanghai, China, Wenyan Lu is the winner of the SI Leeds Literary Prize 2020.

Wenyan holds a Master of Studies in Creative Writing as well as a Postgraduate Certificate in Teaching Creative Writing from the University of Cambridge.

Her unpublished historical novel The Martyr's Hymn was also longlisted for SI Leeds Literary Prize 2018 and Bridport First Novel Prize 2019.

She lives in Cambridge with her family. 

Twitter: @wenyan_lu    Instagram: @wenyanwrites