The Sorrow of Marriage

Name: The Sorrow of Marriage
ISBN: 9787521219494

Ye XinWriters Publishing House · ChinaMar 2026

3.7

Word count: 209K words
Chapters: 24
ISBN: 9787521219494

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Summary

Marriage Wounds is a novel that probes the marital and romantic dilemmas of contemporary life. Starting from the depths of human nature, the author portrays the rich and complex emotional experiences of his characters, touching on and exploring representative issues of love and marriage across class, era, environment, occupation, age, and life experience.

The work uncovers the social significance and implications of marital and romantic problems, addressing the ways men and women relate to each other, and offering psychological and sociological analysis of these issues alongside rational reflection on what makes a happy marriage. The myriad flavors of life are rendered in full: the emotional experiences of educated youth during the special era of being sent down to the countryside, the emotional needs and inner confusion of young rural women; heart-stirring and bittersweet love stories, the varied social landscape of contemporary Shanghai and the twisting life experiences of its ordinary city folk; interwoven with the romantic and marital problems of migrant workers pouring into cities amid urbanization, and the clash of marital values between two generations of a Shanghai family.

Editor's review

Ye Xin's Marriage Wounds uses romance and marriage as a prism, refracting a complex picture of human nature across class, era, and profession. The work does not stop at the surface of emotional entanglements; it moves from the emotional memories of the educated youth years to the romantic predicaments of migrant workers in the urbanization process, and then to the clash of ideas between two generations of a Shanghai family, peeling back layer by layer the social structures and psychological mechanisms behind marriage and love issues. With rich detail and rational analysis, the author lets heart-flutter and sighs coexist, with the twisting experiences of ordinary city folk mirroring macro social change. Readers feel the warmth of emotion while also gaining calm reflection on how the sexes get along and what a happy marriage means. Suited to slow reading in quiet hours, following the ups and downs of the characters' fates and savoring life's myriad flavors; it is especially likely to spark discussion about generational differences in views on marriage and love.

Who it's for

A good fit for

General readers concerned with contemporary marriage and love issues and social change
Middle-aged and older readers interested in the emotional experiences of the educated youth generation
Readers studying the sociology of the family and gender relations
Literature lovers who enjoy realist novels

Not a good fit for

Readers who prefer plot-driven, fast-paced genre fiction
Pragmatists hoping for concrete how-to guidance on marriage and relationships
Readers impatient with multi-thread, ensemble-cast narratives

Reading tips

Take simple notes along character lines to sort out similarities and differences in marriage and love predicaments across classes
Pause at passages on generational conflict and compare them with one's own family experience
After each love story, reflect on its social background rather than reading it purely as a romance

About the publisher

Writers Publishing House China · Founded in 1953

Writers Publishing House is a Chinese publisher focused mainly on literary publishing. Its output covers classical literature, foreign literature, folk literature and Eastern philosophy, with some extension into popular reading such as social fiction and parenting books. Its catalogue contains more than 900 titles, including representative works such as Dream of the Red Chamber and its edited editions, Shakespeare's Macbeth and A Midsummer Night's Dream, and foreign literary classics such as The Brothers Karamazov and Lost Illusions. In terms of authors, it includes classical writers such as Cao Xueqin and Gao E, foreign masters such as William Shakespeare, Dostoevsky and Balzac, and translations by translators such as Zhu Shenghao, Geng Jizhi and Fu Lei. Overall, its publishing profile balances Chinese and foreign literary classics, emphasizes quality translations, and serves both academic and general readers; publicly available information on its specific publishing plans is limited.

版权信息
第一章
第二章
第三章
第四章
第五章
第六章
第七章
第八章
第九章
第十章
第十一章
第十二章
第十三章
第十四章
第十五章
第十六章
第十七章
第十八章
第十九章
第二十章
第二十一章
第二十二章
第二十三章

FAQ

Is this book mainly a love story or about social issues?

Both. The work uses multiple love stories as vehicles, but its focus is on revealing marriage and love issues across class, era, and profession through emotional experience. It offers both emotional depiction and rational analysis of psychological and sociological significance, so readers can take what they need.

Can I understand it without having lived through the educated youth years?

Yes. The educated youth emotional experience is only one thread; the author's approach emphasizes what is shared in emotion and human nature. Younger readers can treat it as a window into the previous generation's views on marriage and love, then compare it with the present-day threads of urbanization and generational conflict, gaining a cross-era comparative perspective.

There are many character threads—how do I keep from getting confused?

Jot down characters along with their class and era background as you read, paying special attention to the contrast between the two generations of the Shanghai family and the migrant workers who come to the city. Though there are many characters, the marriage and love issues each carries are relatively clear; once the threads are sorted out, the work's social depth becomes easier to appreciate.

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About the author

Ye Xin Author · China · 1949

Ye Xin, originally named Ye Chengxi, was born in Shanghai in October 1949 and is a contemporary Chinese writer. In 1969 he went to Guizhou as a sent-down youth and spent ten years there, an experience that deeply shaped his writing. In 1977 he published his first work, The High Miao Ridge, and later brought out novels such as The Wasted Years, Family Education and The Debt of Sin, several of which he adapted into television dramas that drew wide public attention. Known for his social novels, Ye Xin focuses on ordinary people's fates and emotions amid changing times, with delicate and realistic strokes. In recent years he has also written cultural essays such as Shanghai: A Personal Portrait and new works including Marriage in Sorrow, Soul in Sorrow and Love in Sorrow. He once served as vice chairman of the Chinese Writers Association.