Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress (Dai Sijie)

I finished reading this book a couple of weeks ago. It's an interesting plot, set against the China and the Cultural Revolution. It kept me interested enough to read through it in one sitting but the ending left something to be desired.

The book is about two boys, who stumble upon Western books (forbidden, of course) in Chinese translations. They do what they can to try to obtain more books from their friend, who refuses to acknowledge that he has them in hiding. They also flirt with the little seamstress who devours retold tales of Western classics.

The two boys become master story tellers, re-enacting for the villagers, movies and stories they read. The villagers, who would advocate destroying Western art, of all forms, are mesmerized by the stories that these boys tell. At heart, it's the story of cherishing all forms of art/literature for the beauty that it holds, even if political climate compels a society to condemn art/literature of another society.

It's a quick read, and very short. Would I buy it or re-read it? Probably not.