Frog

A Novel

By: Mo Yan, Howard Goldblatt - translator

Narrated by: Graeme Malcolm

The author of Red Sorghum and China's most revered and controversial novelist returns with his first major publication since winning the Nobel Prize.

In 2012, the Nobel committee confirmed Mo Yan's position as one of the greatest and most important writers of our time. In his much-anticipated new novel, Mo Yan chronicles the sweeping history of modern China through the lens of the nation's controversial one-child policy.

Frog opens with a playwright nicknamed Tadpole who plans to write about his aunt. In her youth, Gugu - the beautiful daughter of a famous doctor and staunch Communist - is revered for her skill as a midwife. But when her lover defects, Gugu's own loyalty to the Party is questioned. She decides to prove her allegiance by strictly enforcing the one-child policy, keeping tabs on the number of children in the village, and performing abortions on women as many as eight months pregnant.

In sharply personal prose, Mo Yan depicts a world of desperate families, illegal surrogates, forced abortions, and the guilt of those who must enforce the policy. At once illuminating and devastating, it shines a light into the heart of communist China.

©2014 Mo Yan (P)2014 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"A rich and troubling epic - and a very human story...hauntingly inventive." (The New York Times)

"Mo Yan brings back the hallucinatory realism for which he’s known...[Frog is] another display of Mo Yan’s attractively daring approach to fiction. The Nobel committee chose wisely." (The Washington Post)

"Heavily laced with ardent social criticism, mystical symbolism, and historical realism, Mo Yan’s potent exploration of China’s most personal and intrusive social control programs probes the horrors and pain such policies inflict." (Booklist)

Amazing story of reproduction.

This is an amazing story of reproduction in the age of the One Child Policy. There were many twists and turns in following the life of Gugu.

Loved the Novel, not a fan of the play at end

Which character – as performed by Graeme Malcolm – was your favorite?

I have to give Graeme credit for doing an excellent job with Gugu, I got a really strong sense of her attitude and outlook.

Who was the most memorable character of Frog and why?

Gugu, while not the main character was the focus and and the center of the story. I remember her journey the most.

Any additional comments?

The novel itself I enjoyed, however having the narrator read the play, including stage directions at the end was an unpleasant addition to the core of the story on a personal level.

Just so so

Just so so... tried to reflect what has been happening in China but it is so superficial and not much depth in the story ...