Barefoot Doctor: A Novel (The Margellos World Republic of Letters)

A profound, poignant story of a village healer and her community, from one of the world’s great contemporary novelists “A complex and illuminating portrait of a group of healers in China . . . [that] offers profound insights about what it means to pursue and live a fulfilling life.”— Publishers Weekly “A barefoot doctor herself, [Can Xue] has a unique and powerful way of transporting readers to new worlds where reality and magic are intertwined, and she uses her own experiences to make this novel feel more personal.”—Emily Park, Booklist In rural Yun Village, herbalist Mrs. Yi lives with her husband in a cottage at the foot of Niulan Mountain, where she gathers herbs to treat the ailments of the villagers by day and studies medicine by night. Sickness and herbs are lovers, she tells her patients, rejoicing when they recover, comforting them when they do not. All the while, she hopes to find a worthy successor to take up her mantle. As curious younger villagers observe Mrs. Yi and begin imitating her work—planting gardens and studying the art of healing—they soon discover that the line dividing life from death is porous, and the mountain is more mysterious than they ever knew. Drawing on her experiences as a barefoot doctor in her youth, Can Xue returns with a transporting novel that alights in the in-between spaces: between the living and the dead, healer and sick, nature and us. A profound, poignant story of a village healer and her community, from one of the world's great contemporary novelists "A complex and illuminating portrait of a group of healers in China . . . [that] offers profound insights about what it means to pursue and live a fulfilling life."— Publishers Weekly "A barefoot doctor herself, [Can Xue] has a unique and powerful way of transporting readers to new worlds where reality and magic are intertwined, and she uses her own experiences to make this novel feel more personal."—Emily Park, Booklist In rural Yun Village, herbalist Mrs. Yi lives with her husband in a cottage at the foot of Niulan Mountain, where she gathers herbs to treat the ailments of the villagers by day and studies medicine by night. Sickness and herbs are lovers, she tells her patients, rejoicing when they recover, comforting them when they do not. All the while, she hopes to find a worthy successor to take up her mantle. As curious younger villagers observe Mrs. Yi and begin imitating her work—planting gardens and studying the art of healing—they soon discover that the line dividing life from death is porous, and the mountain is more mysterious than they ever knew. Drawing on her experiences as a barefoot doctor in her youth, Can Xue returns with a transporting novel that alights in the in-between spaces: between the living and the dead, healer and sick, nature and us. This is a complex and illuminating portrait of a group of healers in China that offers profound insights about what it means to pursue and live a fulfilling life. In rural Yun Village, herbalist Mrs. Yi lives with her husband in a cottage at the foot of Niulan Mountain, where she gathers herbs to treat the ailments of the villagers by day and studies medicine by night. Sickness and herbs are lovers, she tells her patients, rejoicing when they recover, comforting them when they do not. All the while, she hopes to find a worthy successor to take up her mantle. As curious younger villagers observe Mrs. Yi and begin imitating her work-planting gardens and studying the art of healing, they soon discover that the line dividing life from death is porous, and the mountain is more mysterious than they ever knew Contents 5 1. The Barefoot Doctor in Yun Village 7 2. Uncle Ma 15 3. The Deceased Uncle Liang Shan 20 4. Something Unpleasant 26 5. Aunt Yossi and Her Eccentric Daughter- in- Law 33 6. Grayʼs Abnormal Behavior 42 7. The Turning Point in Miaʼs Life 47 8. Mia and Lohan Go into Action 53 9. Mrs. Yiʼs Daily Work 59 10. Grayʼs Adventure 71 11. Something That Mrs. Yi Canʼt Forget 85 12. Mia Is Taking Off 96 13. Angelica Joins In 105 14. Kay Comes to Yun Village 117 15. Gray Is In 132 16. Mia and Her Patients 145 17. Spoon and Gray 161 18. Revival of the Director 172 19. The Cause Is Expanding 188 20. Footsteps of the Times 203 21. An Invisible Network 217 22. Gray 226 Epilogue 247 Translatorsʼ Acknowledgments 263 "In rural Yun Village, herbalist Mrs. Yi lives with her husband in a cottage at the foot of Niulan Mountain, where she gathers herbs to treat the ailments of the villagers by day and studies medicine by night. Sickness and herbs are lovers, she tells her patients, rejoicing when they recover, comforting them when they do not. All the while, she hopes to find a worthy successor to take up her mantle. As curious younger villagers observe Mrs. Yi and begin imitating her work--planting gardens and studying the art of healing--they soon discover that the line dividing life from death is porous, and the mountain is more mysterious than they ever knew" -- Inside jacket