The Arctic Circle has lost the horizon.

Author: Zhuang Yu
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-01-01
Features: Another peak masterpiece by Zhuang Yu, the author of Inside and Outside the Circle, a representative figure of emerging urban literature. The novel tells the story of three carefree childhood friends who, after growing up, ultimately lose themselves. The protagonist, Wen Xin, for personal gain, takes control of 30,000 yuan in savings entrusted to him by his close friend "Da Fa Bai" and appropriates it after Da Fa Bai's accidental death. Consumed by guilt, he lives in a daze and eventually develops delusions, imagining Da Fa Bai has become a ghost, demanding his share of the money. Throughout the work, there lingers a yearning and longing for a pure life, and Zhuang Yu's talent is fully revealed through his disdainful prose. Especially his masterful portrayal of people, ghosts, and society makes the novel climax repeatedly.
I was too nervous. I kept feeling there was a sound in the hallway outside the hospital room—it was as if someone was dropping pieces of pork onto the ground, like the footsteps of "Da Fa Bai." My grandfather told me that after people die, their souls don't disappear, especially if they had unfinished business in life. Generally, they would take time each day to visit you unexpectedly. I suddenly remembered something was wrong with Axiu! In an instant, I rolled off the bed and looked at Axiu in horror. Axiu glanced at me but continued to stare at the ground. Axiu had very beautiful eyes, full of spirit, watery and expressive. What terrified me was that I suddenly realized, at that moment, Axiu's eyes were no longer like before—they were dim, melancholic, just like "Da Fa Bai." I stood frozen in place, took a deep breath, and felt a chill creep from my heels all the way up to my head. This might just be what people call a dead person borrowing a living person's soul to return...