Mr. Muo’s Travelling Couch by Dai Sijie, translated by Ina Rilke

The long-awaited follow-up to the provocative Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress introduces readers to the hapless Muo, a newbie Freud devotee, who returns to his native China from France trying to secure the release of his college sweetheart from political prison. Muo’s only hope is an immoral judge, whose asking price for freedom is a virgin maiden. Muo travels the countryside, interpreting dreams along the way, in a desperate – albeit comic – attempt to free his lost love.

Review: “New and Notable Books,” AsianWeek, June 30, 2005

Readers: Adult

Published: 2005 (United States)