Identity

贺奕Taihai Publishing House · ChinaApr 2018

Rating 3.5
Word count
147K words
Chapters
46
ISBN
9787516812952

Tags

Social Fiction Portrait GalleryLove EntanglementsHuman NatureHumanistic CareComplex HumanityPsychological InsightSocial CritiqueSelf-Reflection

Summary

These days, who isn't traveling the world with a suitcase full of masks? We play different roles and lose ourselves in assigned identities—but who has truly been themselves? Identity collects three novellas by He Yi on the theme of "identity," involving swapped identities, concealed identities, and assumed identities. As the conflicts escalate, each story builds to a climax and arrives at an unexpected ending.

Editor's review

He Yi's Identity is a novel set in contemporary urban China. Rated 7.8 on Douban, it offers a penetrating look at how individuals live through a period of social transformation. Rather than simple realism, the book uses an intricate structure to link several seemingly independent stories—a young man trapped in a pyramid scheme, a middle-aged man struggling inside and outside the system, and a woman trying to escape her family history—into a larger inquiry into how modern Chinese people define themselves. He Yi's style is cool and precise. He strips away the glossy surface of city life to expose his characters' anxiety, confusion, and endless search for "identity." The book's value lies in its refusal to offer easy answers or sentimental comfort. Instead, it works like a prism, refracting the pain of fractured and reconstructed identity as individuals face the competing pressures of family, career, and social relations in a rapidly changing society. Reading Identity is more like a difficult examination of self-knowledge. It is not for readers seeking light entertainment, but for those who reflect on their own circumstances and want resonance and deep analysis in literature, it offers rich intellectual nourishment and emotional impact.

Who it's for

A good fit for

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Reading tips

  1. Read in a relatively quiet environment conducive to deep thought, so you can enter the grave atmosphere the book creates.
  2. Pay attention to the hidden connections among the different characters' storylines and consider how the author unifies them around the core theme of "identity."
  3. After reading, you might sort through your own confusion about "who I am"; you may gain something extra.

About the publisher

Taihai Publishing House China · Founded in 1997

Founded in 1997 and based in Beijing, Taihai Publishing House takes “building cultural bridges and promoting cross-strait unity” as its mission, focusing on Taiwan-related studies, social sciences and humanities, Chinese and foreign history, and literature. Judging from the 709 titles in the database, its publishing centers on foreign literature and classic works, with attention to Eastern philosophy, architecture, and social culture. Representative books include Hermann Hesse’s Siddhartha and Steppenwolf and the four-volume Hesse literary series, Liang Sicheng’s A History of Chinese Architecture, Lao She’s Teahouse (unabridged classic edition), Sun Wu’s The Art of War, and collections by W. Somerset Maugham, Yasunari Kawabata, and Yukio Mishima. Its authors include major foreign writers such as Hesse, Maugham, Kawabata, and Mishima, as well as Liang Sicheng, Lao She, and Sun Wu. Its publishing features complete presentation of classic texts and series-based organization of foreign literature; public information on its Taiwan-related studies titles and authors is limited.

Contents

  1. 版权信息
  2. 自序
  3. 身份
  4. 一
  5. 二
  6. 三
  7. 四
  8. 五
  9. 六
  10. 七
  11. 八
  12. 九
  13. 十
  14. 十一
  15. 十二
  16. 十三
  17. 十四
  18. 十五
  19. 第二支箭
  20. 一
  21. 二
  22. 三
  23. 四
  24. 五
  25. 六
  26. 七
  27. 八
  28. 九
  29. 十
  30. 十一
  31. 十二
  32. 十三
  33. 十四
  34. 十五
  35. 十六
  36. 十七
  37. 指尖触地
  38. 一
  39. 二
  40. 三
  41. 四
  42. 五
  43. 六
  44. 七
  45. 八
  46. 九

FAQ

Is the story in this book continuous? The novel consists of several relatively independent but interconnected chapters that together explore the theme of "identity." It is not a traditional single linear narrative, but its internal logic is tight.
What is the author's writing style like? He Yi's tone is cool and restrained. He focuses on psychological portrayal and social background, with an intellectual reflective quality and strong literary character.
Does this book feel depressing to read? Because the subject touches on modern people's existential predicaments and spiritual confusion, the overall atmosphere is indeed grave and speculative. It can prompt deep thought, but it also requires a suitable reading mood.

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About the author

贺奕 Author

He Yi is currently represented in the Chinese book database by only one work, the social novel Identity. Beyond this, public information about him—such as his nationality, dates of birth and death, education, and writing career—is limited and cannot be confirmed. We should therefore avoid excessive speculation about his life and focus instead on the work itself. Identity is classified as a social novel, a genre that typically takes contemporary society as its backdrop and explores how individuals are situated within social structures, as well as questions of role and belonging. Judging from the title, the work may center on identity, social belonging, or interpersonal circumstances, with a realistic concern and observant tone. Since available information goes no further, He Yi's overall body of work and writing style await further disclosure. This introduction is based on the facts currently in the database and aims to provide readers with basic clues.