There is no better way to soak up the spring sunshine than lazing in the park with the coolness of the fresh grass under your feet and a good book in your hands. My Saturday afternoon in Hyde Park literally flew by as I became utterly engrossed within Nell Freudenberger’s sparkling novel, The Dissident, which explores the collision between East and West, between the artistic revolution of Beijing’s East Village and LA’s plush boulevards and swimming pools.  

Set in Beijing and Los Angeles, the work unravels the tale of its protagonist, Yuan Zhao, and depicts his experience as a resident artist on the West Coast, hosted by the dysfunctional Travers family in their Hollywoodian home. Freudenberger deliciously describes the explosion of the early Chinese artistic movement, in particular of its members’ unusual pieces of living art with their equally unusual titles, such as Drip-Drop and Something That is not Art. Defiantly ignoring the prohibition imposed by the Chinese government upon practising such forms of art, Freudenberger’s masterful description of this group’s creative activities opens a window into China’s post-Tiananmen  ’shock art’ period.

Interwoven with threads that speak of love, adultery, and teenage rebellion, all tied together with plenty of witty humour, I assure you that this is one book you will not be putting down anytime soon.

Images courtesy of Amazon and Chambers Fine Art

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