Book Review

A Concise Chinese-English Dictionary for Lovers

By Xiaolu Guo

Published by

A Concise Chinese-English Dictionary For Lovers tells the story of Zhuang, a young Chinese woman coming to London to learn English. The fact that it’s deliberately written in bad English (it’s presented as Zhuang’s diary written in the language she’s learning) really helps the reader get into the character’s head and go with her on her journey of learning and understanding as her English improves throughout the book.

I couldn’t put it down because her portrayal of English food, her bafflement at the language and her journey of discovery through English culture are not only hilarious but also very moving. Zhuang – or Z as she starts calling herself because English people can’t pronounce her name – even discovers sex the same way that she’s discovering the language: naive and innocent. As an immigrant myself, I can tell that Xiaolu Guo’s depiction of moving to London is very accurate and, reading this novel, even those who have lived in this county all their lives will see the city from a visitor’s view point.

Zhuang’s journey starts with her arriving in London, not knowing anyone or speaking the language. Along the way she meets an Englishman who she falls in love with. He happens to be bisexual and has led a life of traveling, never really settling down. He loves gardening and even though he’s far from a stereotypical English bloke, he still is the representation of England in the book. Both of them, in a sense, are representing their cultures and we see them clashing because of their backgrounds and their different understandings of life.

The book made me get closer to understanding Chinese culture. I found it very insightful and empathised with Zhuang’s views on relationships even though as a product of Great Britain I’ve grown up with the values that the British character holds. The author doesn’t judge either of her characters, so you end up knowing – and loving – them both equally.

Through Zhuang, Xiaolu Guo philosophises on Western life: she comments on the culture of the individual rather than that of the group or commune that is prominent in China. For example, Zhuang’s perception of family life in the UK, where people don’t prioritise the family and everyone is an individual, Zhuang comments ‘Maybe people here have problems being intimate with each other. People keep distance because they want independence… A family doesn’t live together therefore the intimate inside of a family disappeared. Maybe that why Westerners much more separated, lonely, and have more Old People’s House.’

The bad English doesn’t actually put the reader off, in fact it is the thing that keeps the humour and empathy flowing. It also makes the book original in style. But the author is also subtly mocking the concept of translators and the loss of meaning that come sometimes occur in the journey from one language to another.

Overall this has become one of my favourite books because of how well and originally a simple story is told and how much my own thoughts and emotions about coming to this country are voiced in Zhuang’s character.

Katie Melua was born in Georgia (former USSR). Her family left Georgia when Katie was eight, moving to Belfast and then London. Katie was discovered by composer and producer Mike Batt, when he visited the Brit School for Performing Arts where she was studying, and signed to his record label, Dramatico www.dramatico.com. Her first two albums ‘Call Off the Search’ (2003) and ‘Piece by Piece’ (2005) reached no 1 in the UK album charts. She was the UK’s biggest selling female artist in 2004 and 2005: in 2006 she was the biggest selling female artist across Europe. Katie is currently writing and recording songs for her third album, which is scheduled for release in Autumn 2007.

www.katiemelua.com