Wei Lai, a top tier personal bodyguard who lived in an unconventional and unrestrained manner, had been hired by a Saudi Arabian shipowner to protect Cen Jin, an infamous journalist well known for her sharp and brash social commentary, in her journey to the territorial waters of Somalia, where she would be responsible for negotiating and procuring the release of a supertanker which had been hijacked by the Somali pirates.
From the vast, icy fields to the wild, endless dessert, from the Red Sea to the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, the seemingly peaceful journey was, in actuality, fraught with danger. Is Cen Jin truly the highly esteemed volunteer who had been awarded the Presidential Medal for her brave, courageous volunteer work, or is she a hidden accomplice who had assisted the perpetrators during the Karon massacre?
On the evening of the trial, before the gallows, the Boat of Fate finally managed to sail through the storm, and moor in gentle, shallow waters.
Life In April is the fourth novel by 尾鱼 which I’ve devoured, and yet, there are still no signs of me slowing down – I think it is fair to say that 尾鱼 has proven herself, time and again, to be one of the better C-novelists, and that her stories are usually grounded in good principles / insights, and are typically populated with interesting characters that seem to come alive on paper (instead of your typical, one-dimensional cardboard type of characters which most C-novelists end up crafting). Now, although 尾鱼’s forte is undoubtedly in the mystery fantasy genre with horror / supernatural elements, with Life In April, she’s proven that she is still every bit capable of crafting a wonderful story that leaves readers with a lasting impression – even without her usual horror and fantasy elements.
Life In April details the development of a grounded, romantic relationship between our unbothered, sassy female lead (Cen Jin) and our reliable, sturdy male lead (Wei Lai), as they embark on a journey to the territorial waters of Somalia, where Cen Jin would be responsible for negotiating the release of a Saudi Arabian supertanker which had been hijacked by the Somali pirates. Although stripped of the horror elements, 尾鱼 still manages to build in a fair bit of mystery as readers (and our male lead, really) are left to discover the reason why Cen Jin’s life seems to be under mortal threat (despite being a mere journalist with sharp and critical commentary), the reason why Cen Jin appears to have a devil-may-care attitude (despite appearing to have a plan for every step of her life), and the reason why Cen Jin suffers from constant nightmares from her time in Karon (a fictional country).
Life In April is, admittedly, not as attractive as Xi Exiting Yumen, or The Voice of Death – it is, however, an interesting attempt by 尾鱼 to attempt to bring to attention to her readers, one of the greatest / most severe tragedies in the modern era through the use of a fictional country and the fate of such fictional country (the Karon massacre referred to in the synopsis). And for that, Life In April deserves at least 4 – 4.5 stars, despite the male and female leads suffering from slightly weaker characterization and the development of the novel being less exciting when compared to the main characters of 尾鱼’s other novels.