The 2016 Man Booker International finalist Yan Lianke turns his satirical eye on China’s rapid growth in this surreal fantasy in which an ancient rural village – Explosion – is transformed into a mega-metropolis on the back of political ambition and corruption. As the village expands, time literally seems to speed up – airports are built in days; monthly publications are published weekly – destroying the natural course of things. Flowers dutifully bloom, though in the wrong season (and, more weirdly, from spilled blood). As much a parody of communist rule in China as a devastating critique of capitalist excess, power, greed and self-destruction, Yan’s novel is nothing short of a masterpiece.
• The Explosion Chronicles by Yan Lianke is published by Chatto & Windus (£14.99). To order a copy for £11.24 go to bookshop.theguardian.com or call 0330 333 6846. Free UK p&p over £10, online orders only. Phone orders min p&p of £1.99
