Informal man

Author: Mu Bei
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-01-01
Features: An alternative, cold, post-adolescent novel. Read The Informal Man. Talk about men, discuss the standards of a "formal man"! Psychological tests that will make you gasp and scream! DV competition, challenge the limits of acting, win huge prizes! This is a classic coming-of-age novel comparable to Goethe's The Sorrows of Young Werther, an outstanding example in the novels of the new generation of writers. It combines Wang Shuo's rogue humor, Shi Kang's sharp satire, and Anni's pain and melancholy, making it a truly enjoyable read. —Huang Xiaoyang (The Three Eras, Floating World author)
The Informal Man is a campus youth novel that tells a story of growth. However, this story is cruel and alienated. If Dream Valley narrates with nostalgic beauty, then The Informal Man reflects on youth with painful self-examination. The protagonist's journey of growth seems unbearable. "Homosexuality, one-night stands, date rape, drug addiction, suicide—the chances of experiencing any of these in a lifetime are slim, yet I lived through all the absurdities of life's script in the brief, naive days of my youth." Here, we also see the pursuit of beauty, but this beauty is ultimately replaced and almost drowned by desire. The beauty of youth becomes a burden, and crossing the threshold of youth demands a bloody price; one becomes a puppet of youth. Or one evades the responsibility of growing up, even more recklessly wasting youth and indulging in desire, "like a melancholic sperm lost in the surging tide." Or one faces the heavy burden of life and strives toward mental maturity. The author shows us a process of struggling against constant loss and striving toward maturity amid continuous disorientation.
"The Informal Man" is a stage every man goes through: from boy to man. So, what does a naive boy need to go through to become a truly mature man? The answers vary. Some say one must suffer emotional setbacks, others say economic independence, and some say sexual experience. Mu Bei, an undeniably "informal man," writes the growth story of a "non-formal man" named Su Nan with a touch of hilarious yet poignant humor. Su Nan, like many college students, appears arrogant and rebellious on the surface but is deeply emotional and easily hurt inside. When he discovers that his beloved girlfriend He Xi is a lesbian, he is filled with grief and fury, taking his anger out on He Xi's girlfriend Qing Yan, and the story unfolds.
Expelled from school, Su Nan experiences in just a year things that ordinary people go through in a lifetime. In the end, he discovers the truth of life. This is an alternative and cold youth novel. As a male writer of the same generation as He Yuanwei's cold humor and Guo Jingming's tearful melancholy, Mu Bei's style differs. The humor in The Informal Man is tinged with sadness, but this sadness is not a vague emotion triggered by clouds in the sky or grass on the ground, but the harsh reality of life's trials. The book conveys the pain and joy of growing up. Where in life are there so many romantic tales? Betrayal by lovers, misfortune among friends, illness in family, betrayal by colleagues—these are not just Su Nan's experiences but may be shared by everyone. Boys, when dealing with such heavy blows from life, are prone to impulses, despair, and harming others. But when they overcome them, they transform like a butterfly emerging from a cocoon, becoming men who stand tall. Reading Mu Bei's novels is like eating spicy hotpot in the height of summer—refreshing and invigorating. The Informal Man arrives with a formal demeanor, telling everyone that writers of the post-80s generation can also portray profound and real life. From charm to depravity, there is only one step. Charm is fleeting, depravity is shameful. From girl to woman, there is only a thin membrane separating them. Girls are like willows in March, pure and fresh; women are like aged wine, rich and fragrant. From boy to man, there are countless obstacles. Boys are like growing trees, full of vigor and lofty ambitions; men are like cornered beasts, tightly bound by life's ropes in the net of time.
When I bid farewell to those innocent years and think I am a man, I realize life remains as absurd as ever. Now I understand that men should create their own lives, not just accept changes. The Informal Man is a story of rebellion and pursuit, a boy's transformation into a man. Su Nan, rebellious yet emotionally rich, falls into a vortex of revenge and redemption after discovering his first love He Xi is a lesbian. Misfortune befalls his friends, his family falls ill, his lover disappears, and he is expelled from school—all because of his impulsive actions, and fate punishes him with even harsher trials. Amid confusion, he wanders in search of He Xi.
He Xi, Su Nan's first love, and Qing Yan's lesbian lover. She cannot forgive her boyfriend's humiliation and harm, nor can she escape guilt over her partner. Emotional entanglement drives her to wander far, selling herself. Qing Yan, who orchestrates love's schemes, suffers the consequences of deception—date rape, drug addiction, suicide, and revenge. Is she an embodiment of evil, or a victim of life's war? Zhou Yu, perhaps only in this gentle and sweet girl does Su Nan experience the warmth of love. Yet, the wild and obsessed youth banishes this passionate feeling. Life's hardships are like "growing pains" of youth—only by actively facing the trials of growth can one appreciate the beauty of transformation.
Written in the first person, the author tells a story of rebellion and pursuit, successfully depicting a boy's transformation into a man. The protagonist's confusion and recklessness perfectly reflect some rebellious thoughts of contemporary youth, and the story is captivating. It is worth mentioning that the author not only portrays the romantic relationships between men and women but also reflects on life.