I decided to read it after reading Mankell's Before the Frost, but this was a complete let down. It started off well but then just seemed to lose track. He was going back and forth between present and past, which sometimes is interesting, but not in this case. I found the shifts between past and present extremely irritating (I am a fan of Nolan's Memento by the way).I hated the fact he was talking so much about politics and what the main character felt about. I thought it was distracting and completely off the topic. There were several instances when I felt the author was being repetitive, especially when talking about Roslin's feelings about Mao and communism.Half way through the book I was struggling to read it. I don't like leaving a novel unfinished and so I starting skimming through text at some point.As one of the other reviewer mentioned the main character of Roslin was frustratingly stupid at times. She finds clues without actually trying hard and fails to do the right thing at the right time - very frustrating as a reader.All in all I will be a bit wary when I pick up the next novel from the same author. Perhaps it's my ongoing thrall with Nordic noir but I loved this story. It starts out as a modern police procedural in what has become a familiar setting: Snow, then switches to a historical novel set on the California/Nevada border in the mid-1800s. This shift spurs the brain to seek connection between the two. Before we know it, and very organically, Mankell shifts our focus to contemporary China where possible means and motives begin to appear. Mankell layers in many of the current political and social issues the country faces, proving yet again that fiction is often the most palatable way to deal with reality; it can go down a little easier.
What do You think about Il Cinese (2008)?
meh...too wide in scope and poorly executed. Mankell should stick to police procedurals.
—spela1300
I read this awhile ago. Good. I might have skimmed. I can't remember.
—laura
