The Mourner

The funeral mourner has long come to terms with her fate. Even in the tiny village, she is alone: her husband expects silent service from her, her daughter left long ago, and the villagers are convinced that her presence in the house is a bad omen. And her husband thinks so too, which does not prevent him from living off the money that "smells of decay." Everyone insists that no one forced the mourner to choose such a profession, yet circumstances are stronger than any words — she is forced to take responsibility for her family and live among those who despise her but desperately need her in their darkest days. Talking about happiness in the village is not customary, and the mourner does not even think about being unhappy — after all, she is a woman; things could be much worse, so she looks at life sardonicly, although not without bewilderment.
But even in a predetermined fate, there are encounters that change everything — and then the world very slowly fills with colors, and you begin to ask yourself obvious questions that had not occurred to you before. The debut novel of the Anglo-Chinese writer Wenyuan Lu, awarded the SI Leeds Prize, is a poignant and crystal-clear tragicomedy about self-discovery, the inevitability of understanding, and the fact that even in barren land, hope can sometimes sprout.