Are You There?
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Summary
This is a collection of stories: twelve tales about “Are you there?” Within them are bullet comments, a legend of love, wild fables, and urban ghost stories:
What kind of drink could intoxicate a girl who never gets drunk, and where is the end of the rainbow she is heading for?
Will a mother-to-be with cancer choose to abort her child to save herself, or give the child life and face death herself?
A man like a mole and a woman like a migratory bird fall in love—will their choice in the end be the burrow or the sky?
Deliberately, these are all stories of having loved, of us who have loved. In everyone’s life, someone is always coming in, someone is always leaving, and someone is always there. But one answer holds the ultimate warmth and strength: Are you there? I am.
Read this book carelessly and you may miss it; read it too seriously and you may shed tears.
The fake cannot be proven; the real needs no proof.
Editor's review
From a professional editor's perspective, the book's value lies in the "heavy thinking" within its "light narrative." The prose is clean and crisp, almost plain, but behind each short piece hides a dual reading of the alienation and longing in human relationships. The author's keen insight as a former media professional gives him a precise grasp of how communication has changed in the digital age: we are always online, yet often lonely; we interact frequently, yet rarely connect deeply. This contradiction is presented with restrained strokes—no sentimentality, no preaching—which makes it all the more resonant.
In terms of reading experience, the book suits fragmented reading; each piece stands alone, yet the themes are internally coherent. Particularly noteworthy is the author's exploration of "presence"—in today's flood of virtual connection, what does it truly mean to be "there"? The book offers no standard answer, but lets readers arrive at their own understanding through accumulated scenes. This use of blank space reflects the author's maturity and lifts the work beyond ordinary essays into the depth of social observation.
From a market perspective, literary works exploring the spiritual condition of modern people always have an audience, especially readers seeking moments of reflection in a fast-paced life. The book's design is minimal and unified with its content, presenting an overall "quiet conversational feel." While it does not break new literary ground, its sincere, plain expression feels precious in today's over-polished publishing market.
Who it's for
A good fit for
- Urban readers accustomed to fragmented reading but hungry for deeper thought
- Readers with sustained interest in relationships and existential questions
- Literary fans who prefer minimalist prose and dislike flowery language
- Modern people who often feel alienated in digital social life and try to understand that state
Not a good fit for
- Fiction readers expecting a complete storyline or strong dramatic conflict
- Nonfiction readers drawn to pragmatism and clear methodologies
Reading tips
- Read 2–3 pieces a day, leaving breathing room for thought between them
- Read alongside your own message history or social media feed for a more dimensional experience
- After finishing, try observing a day of your own communication through the author's lens—you may be surprised
About the publisher
China Friendship Publishing Company is a comprehensive publisher known for its literary titles, covering classical Chinese literature, foreign literature, folk literature and cultural appreciation. According to the books in the database, its classical list includes celebrated dramas and novels such as The Peony Pavilion, The Romance of the Western Chamber and Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio, as well as note-style classics like Hong Mai's Rongzhai Suibi. In foreign literature it offers translations of Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment, Kawabata Yasunari's Snow Country and Anne Frank's The Diary of a Young Girl, involving translators such as Zeng Siyi. It also publishes The Complete Literary Works of Lu Xun and titles associated with the "Xue'er Shuguan" editorial group, balancing the collation and popularization of classic texts. Public information on its publishing features and plans is limited; the above is summarized only from the books in the database.
Contents
- 版权信息
- 推荐序 我在
- 自序 你敢说天长，我就敢“递酒”
- 弹幕使用指南
- 董小姐
- 狐狸的婚礼
- 不满的几个故事
- “三打白骨精”
- 隔离时期的爱情
- 星巴克杯里的莫吉托
- “你要上来坐坐吗”
- “天堂”里的安吉尔
- 大海的一千个白眼
- 杰克和肉丝
- 得克萨斯没有好运
- 假如爱有天意
- 后记 爱过的我们
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About the author
Han Guohui is an author about whom relatively limited public information is currently available; the database contains only one work by this author, titled Are You There? (Zai Ma). The work is classified as a classic, suggesting that it has received some attention within the relevant category and reading context. The title itself carries a strong sense of everyday conversation and calling out, readily evoking the hesitation, waiting, and response involved in contemporary interpersonal communication, and hinting that the work may stay close to real life and emotional exchange. Because the author's nationality, dates of birth and death, educational background, and writing career are not clearly recorded, this introduction makes no speculation about personal biography. On the basis of the available information, Han Guohui's writing profile is presented mainly through this single work, Are You There?, and readers may turn to the text itself to appreciate its language, narrative orientation, and emotional expression, thereby forming an initial but concrete understanding of the author.
