The Incarnations by Susan Barker has been praised as China’s Midnight’s Children. I hate comparisons like that because it almost sets The Incarnations up for failure. Midnight’s Children was a game-changer for Indian literature in English, and in many ways put South Asian literature on the map. For years it was cited as the quintessential novel of India’s coming of age. The Incarnations, on the other hand, though a mighty book, is not forwarding the cause of Chinese literature per se, as Barker is a Brit of Malaysian-Chinese descent, and does not mark a moment in time when everything changed the way Midnight’s Children did.
Am I quibbling? Maybe. Regardless of The Incarnations‘ standing vis-a-vis Midnight’s Children, it is a really good novel and will surely garner at least a few major award nominations. Set in Beijing just before the 2008 Olympics, the novel follows the life of taxi driver Wang. Mysterious letters containing excerpts of his previous incarnations are left in his taxi. Are they a hoax? Is someone trying to blackmail him? As Wang seeks to solve the mystery, we are taken on a tour of various time periods of China’s history and the fraught relationship through many lifetimes that Wang has with whoever is leaving these letters.
Overall, while I enjoyed The Incarnations, I did find it a little unevenly written. The multiple narratives and time periods meant that there were some sections I adored and some that I struggled with. Though I usually stay away from deep historical fiction, the portions set in the distant past were some of my favorites. To me, that attests to Barker’s skill in weaving a captivating tale.
Who would like this book? Though The Incarnations can definitely be classified as a literary novel, I think it’s appeal will spread beyond that narrow definition. It is full of action and adventure, intrigue, passion and romance. It’s got something for everyone. It also gives a gentle lesson in China’s history by focusing in on various time periods. I do recommend it highly. It is honestly quite unlike any other book I’ve read set in China.
I would like to thank my friends at Simon and Schuster Canada for providing me with a copy of this book for review consideration.
52 books or bust 
One that keeps cropping up in reviews… must look up Midnight’s Children too.
I thought the same thing. I found it engaging enough to keep reading, but overall felt like much of it dragged and didn’t quite live up to what it could have been.
This has been popping up all over the place. I have not really read Chinese lit before. I will have to get this book to see what I think.
I’m reading this now, and it seems to be dragging on a bit in sections, as you stated. I’m going to take a break from it, and return in a few days or so. I’m into it, but just not feeling it at the moment. We’ll see how it wraps up for me. Great thoughts!
I do like the way it’s tied together at the end. And if it’s not working for you, skip ahead a section. Some are better than others.
I’m going away because I loved this book, unevenness and all 😉 But yes, I did skim through a few sections, mainly because some incarnations were more interesting than others.
Exactly. I think that’s bound to be the case when you’re dealing with such different time periods etc.
Thanks for the review. I’ve heard quite a bit about this book. I like how you say it is unlike any other book you’ve read about China.
Now you have me interested in Midnight Children… great thoughts on this one!
Midnight’s Children is a pretty great book, but I’m a Rushdie fan.
I just picked this up from the library. It will be an entirely different reading experience for me – I’ve been reading A LOT of Historical Fiction lately and I’ve never ready any David Mitchell – saw this stated as “David Mitchelly”. We’ll see how it goes – but I need to bust into something different for a little bit – outside of my comfort zone – since I’ve been reading a lot of the same type of HF. (They’ve been all very good mind you, but I need something else now)
I agree with you. I wish publishers wouldn’t make those comparisons, either. They are right it makes people pick up the book, but then it raises expectations to the point that the book is surely to fail in the eyes of the reader in some way.
I have a copy of the book, but had no idea about the plot. The cover is eye-catching and mysterious. Is there a cover wars planned for this book?
I didn’t like the cover at first, but then when you look at the detail, it’s quite amazing. I don’t think there’ll be a cover war though. I’ve only seen one cover.