The Funeral Cryer, Wenyan Lu
The Funeral Cryer, Wenyan Lu
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The Funeral Cryer
A Novel

Author: Wenyan Lu

Narrator: Helen Crevel

Unabridged: 9 hr

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 04/30/2024

Synopsis

Debut novelist Wenyan Lu brings us this witty yet profound story about one woman’s midlife reawakening in contemporary rural China, for fans of Yiyun Li and Julie Otsuka.

The Funeral Cryer long ago accepted the mundane realities of her life: avoided by fellow villagers because of the stigma attached to her job and underappreciated by her husband, whose fecklessness has pushed the couple close to the brink of breakup. But just when things couldn't be bleaker, she takes a leap of faith—and in so doing, things start to take a surprising turn for the better.

Dark, moving and wry, The Funeral Cryer is both an illuminating depiction of a “left behind” society—and proof that it's never too late to change your life.

About Wenyan Lu

Originally from Shanghai, China, Wenyan Lu is the winner of the SI Leeds Literary Prize 2020. Wenyan holds a Master of Studies in Creative Writing as well as a Postgraduate Certificate in Teaching Creative Writing from the University of Cambridge. Her unpublished historical novel, The Martyr's Hymn, was also longlisted for SI Leeds Literary Prize 2018 and Bridport First Novel Prize 2019.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Lydia

I really enjoyed this book. This was a beautiful, thought provoking book, it was also incredibly humorous. It gave me an insight into Chinese culture but also I could relate to the narrative as The Funeral Cryer was middle aged and had many responsibilities. I didn't stop until I finished this wonde......more

Goodreads review by Kate

The eponymous narrator of The Funeral Cryer muses on the way names constrain and mislead. They are used as signifiers of family and marital status, but her corner of the world is littered with villages named for rivers and mountains that don’t exist. Her daughter, struggling to make a life in Shangh......more

Goodreads review by jean

I really loved this book, it was relatively short and not a lot happened, but it really packed a punch! Although the unnamed funeral cryer lived in rural China her thoughts and, often amusing, feelings about life, death, love, family and women's role in society were profoundly universal and beautifu......more

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