*
They encountered Didi, a small, male, shirted dog. Dudu and Didi seemed uninterested in each other. “From behind, they look very similar,” said Li’s dad, as he did every time the two dogs met.
The walk continued.
Li’s dad called Didi "dāi bǎn."
“Dāi means stupid, right?” said Li.
“Right,” said Li’s mom. “Bǎn means board.”
“What kind of board? Wood?”
Li’s dad said a cutting board.
Li asked if dāi bǎn meant conventional and unexceptional.
Li’s dad said it meant “unable to change” and “goes by rules.”
Li’s mom said it meant “not flexible.”
"Dad called Didi dāi bǎn," said Li, amused.
"He has to criticize everything,” said Li’s mom.
Hi Tao. I just read Taipei for a class. It was good. I googled you and found this and also followed you on twitter and reviewed it on goodreads. Not sure why I felt the need to share all that, but I think it's cool you reply to people on here. Why did you delete this scene, and all of Didi, from your upcoming book?
ReplyDeleteThank you for following me on Twitter and reviewing Taipei. I think Didi occurred only in this scene. One reason I deleted it is because then it would be easier for readers to remember the other non-Dudu dog in the novel: Momo.
Deletedoes Li smoke weed in Leave Society? if so, you could have name it Leaf Society. also, do you think Leave Society is better than Taipei? i think Taipei is one of the best novels so far this century, you're really the only good writer that feels stylistically influenced by the internet (not in a bad way)
ReplyDeleteLi does smoke weed in Leave Society. I could have named it Leaf Society, yes; Li smokes and/or eats weed almost every day for the 3+ years the novel covers. I don't think it's better than Taipei, or that Taipei is better than it. I spent more time writing Leave Society, though.
Deletewhat's interesting about your writing, to me anyway, is that you found a simple, unadorned type of sentence that worked and you can just continually use that form over and over again, whereas a lot of writers are looking for new ways to put together a sentence several times over in a book. makes your stuff efficient in a really cool way. don't know if that was intentional but thought i'd share it since i know you're reading this.
ReplyDeleteThank you.
Deletehow long have you been writing Leave Society?
ReplyDeleteI started it in 2014 I think.
Deletewhat was the weather like in this scene?
ReplyDeletepartly cloudy, ~70 degrees
DeleteI appreciate how the meaning of "dāi bǎn" shifts and blossoms in just a few lines, while the phrase itself means something like "rigid." This inverse relation is satisfying. The scene is also very vivid, ordinary, and whimsical. It feels spacious. If this is a cut scene - I'm so excited for the novel to come out! Thank you!
ReplyDeleteThank you. I like your thoughts on the scene.
Delete