The One for Me

Name: The One for Me
ISBN: 9789622570795

Yi ShuCosmos Books Ltd.1988

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Chapters: 5
Series: The One for Me is a collection of short stories and novellas by Hong Kong writer Yi Shu, published in 1988 by Hong Kong Cosmos Books as No. 079 in the "Yi Shu Series." The book contains five works: "The One for Me," "A Tale of Choosing a Wife," "Women of the Night," "Angel Mission," and "Something Better." Among them, "A Tale of Choosing a Wife" is a novella, and the rest are short stories; all revolve around the emotions, marriages, and ways of conducting oneself of urban men and women. The title story, "The One for Me," is set at a housewarming dinner lasting from four in the afternoon until midnight: the narrator visits her sister's home—her sister has achieved upward social mobility through marriage—and amid a room full of literati and satin wallpaper and antique clocks, sees the composure and innocence a woman has gained by "marrying well." In the hall she encounters a woman sleeping on a long sofa, whom she never finds again; the so-called "one for me" ultimately remains only a distant, unattainable impression. "Women of the Night" contrasts the "darling of the night" Muse with her own conventional life: on one side, the freedom of classes that start only in the afternoon and all-night revelry; on the other, an outstanding student disciplined in a convent school. The two ways of living reflect women's dilemma between traditional norms and freedom. "Angel Mission" handles human emotional disputes in the voice of an angel; "Something Better." uses friends' probing that "everyone has a price" to question affection and dignity; and "A Tale of Choosing a Wife," from a man's perspective on blind dates, writes out a series of realistic calculations about marriage and women. The book's tone is calm and restrained, with a touch of mockery, adept at advancing through dialogue and short sentences, portraying lightly yet sharply the social scene of a city where marriage is habitually used to measure success, and where women each find their own way out.
ISBN: 9789622570795

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Summary

Yi Shu's short stories often show her craft better than her novels: no elaborate setup, no explanation—two or three lines of dialogue lay bare a character's predicament. The five pieces in The One for Me are all of this kind: short, fast-paced, reading like overhearing gossip at the next table in a cha chaan teng, yet leaving a chill afterward. The title story uses the dinner party as a stage, letting a sister who "married well" display her social skills amid satin wallpaper and antique clocks, while the true "one for me" flashes by on the sofa and disappears—this single stroke captures the respectability exchanged for marriage in urban Hong Kong, and the observer's envy and resentment. "Women of the Night" contrasts two kinds of women's lives, without judging, only juxtaposing, yet sharper than any argument. "Angel Mission" shifts to a divine perspective, treating mortal entanglements as a "case" to be handled, playful with a chill beneath. Yi Shu's writing is extremely economical, dense with memorable lines yet never showy; it is precisely this restraint of "not explaining" that keeps her stories from dating after thirty years. For readers used to novels, this is an ideal "introduction to Yi Shu"; for longtime readers, it fills in No. 079 of the series, reading like a reunion with an old acquaintance.

Editor's review

亦舒的短篇往往比长篇更见功夫：不铺陈、不解释，三两句对白就把一个人物的处境摊开。《伊人》里的五篇皆属此类，篇幅短、节奏快，读来像在茶餐厅听邻桌讲八卦，听完却有些发凉。同名篇把家宴当作舞台，让一位“嫁得好”的姐姐在缎质墙纸与古董钟之间施展她的社交手腕，而真正的“伊人”只在沙发上一闪而过、转眼不见——这一笔写透了香港都市里那种以婚姻换取的体面，也写透了旁观者的羡与不甘。《夜之女》则在两种女性人生之间做对照，不评判，只并置，却比任何议论都更锋利。《天使任务》换上天神的视角，把凡人的纠缠看成一份需要处理的“个案”，俏皮里带着凉意。亦舒的文字极其经济，金句密集而不显炫技，正是这种“不解释”的克制，使她的故事历三十年仍不过时。对习惯长篇的读者来说，这是一本理想的“入门亦舒”；对老读者而言，则是补上系列第079种的一册，读来像与旧相识重逢。

Who it's for

A good fit for

喜欢亦舒、想从短篇入门其写作风格的读者
对香港都市文学、八十年代香港社会感兴趣的读者
偏爱短篇、习惯通勤碎片阅读的上班族
关注婚恋、阶层与女性处境话题的读者

Not a good fit for

只读长篇、要求情节完整铺陈的读者
期待大团圆或浓烈情感宣泄的读者
不适应粤语语境与港式都市题材的读者

Reading tips

五篇可按目录顺序读，也可先读同名篇《伊人》，感受全书基调
读时留意人物对白，亦舒的锋芒多藏在闲话与自嘲里
读完可对照《选妻记》的男性视角，思考同一议题的两种叙事
若要了解亦舒的整体脉络，可把这册看作其八十年代中后期短篇创作的一个切面

The One for Me
Choosing a Wife
Women of the Night
Angel Mission
Something Better

FAQ

《伊人》是长篇还是短篇集？

是短篇与中篇的合集，共五篇：《伊人》《选妻记》《夜之女》《天使任务》《更好的。》，其中《选妻记》为中篇，其余为短篇。

这本书在亦舒作品系列里是第几种？

据亦舒作品编目，它是天地图书“亦舒系列”第079种，1988年出版，封面绘画与设计出自水禾田。

书名的“伊人”指什么？

语出《诗经·秦风·蒹葭》“所谓伊人，在水一方”，在书中指一位只在宴会上惊鸿一现、再难寻见的女郎，也喻指可望而不可即的理想形象。

和梁晓声的《伊人伊人》是同一本书吗？

不是。梁晓声的《伊人伊人》是一部长篇爱情小说，围绕酒吧与人物的情感纠葛展开；本书则是香港作家亦舒的短篇合集。书名相近但作者与内容均不同。

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