I don't know quite what I was expecting out of China Mountain Zhang, Mauren F. McHugh's multi-award-winning science-fiction novel. I guess I was expecting a lot more action. Not that every novel with Chinese people in it has to be action-packed, but I certainly expected--I don't know--a few more guns, some big explosions, maybe a starship invasion or two.

Instead, I got a very, very quiet novel, one that is essentially about eking out a living in a mildly unusual world.

I use the phrase "mildly unusual" only because, in the context of the science-fiction genre, the universe of China Mountain Zhang isn't particularly exotic. It's the 22nd Century, and Communist China has long since taken over the world. (The book is very good about doling out little bits of this history; McHugh slyly paints all the stories people tell with the gloss of historical memory, giving their fond [or not-so-fond] recollections of history a genuine feel.) Mankind has colonized a few planets--in particular, Mars. Computers are pretty advanced; transportation is much improved; people are into a sport called kite-flying. The most significant aspect of McHugh's universe is that it is very Chinese-centric. Americans are looked down upon as hicks; if you're American, and you can make it into one of the uber-prestigious Chinese universities, then you "must be one smart son of a bitch," as one character says.

China Mountain Zhang tells the placid domestic stories of two major casts of characters: one of them led by an aspiring engineer named Zhang (whose name explains the title), and one of them led by a woman (Martine) tending to her goats on Mars. If you're expecting anything to happen in these stories, you're in for a major disappointment. It's true that Zhang is both gay and only half-Chinese (his mother is Hispanic), two factors that lead to some tense moments in a very prejudiced environment. Also, at one point he does get sent to Antarctica; and at another point he gets chased by the police. And, I suppose I should mention that Martine does encounter a lone Martian laborer and his daughter who have lost all hope, and at one point all of her goats invade her kitchen.

But really, the book is never particularly exciting. What makes it good--once you get beyond thinking how boring this all is--is that McHugh wrotes so movingly and exceptionally smoothly about these people's ordinary lives. One of my favorite passages in the book is when Martine and the lone Martian laborer (who have already become an item) have a funny-sad argument about their relationship. The passage is cute and well paced. It is also honest--the fact that it occurs on Mars while they're dealing with an oxygen leak is basically irrelevant. (The aforementioned goats are also in the kitchen during the argument. Trust me, it's a gem.)

Let me put it another way: Other writers could have taken this universe and made the protagonists major political rebels, saviors of the world, and so on. Instead, we read about Zhang anxiously searching for a new job--and, for some reason, it feels like his job search actually matters. The novel does not aim to awe--it's too intimate for that--but it shines in its small-time portrayal of basically ordinary folks.

The downside is that, like real life, the novel sometimes drags, and there are a couple of episodes that seem almost irrelevant to the overall plot (especially in Zhang's life). The book also takes a long time to rev up; in fact, the entire first chapter is honestly pretty slow. But if you can get over the complete lack of action, and if you're willing to immerse yourself in these likeable characters, China Mountain Zhang is a pretty good read.

Copyright © 2004 Steven Wu