Beyond voyeuristic pleasure and feel good story

[English summary]{Book review}
I want to give my good words, trust me. The book, Love in Tibet, is recommended by a friend with a forward from a famous online writer, and she is obviously moved by it. Therefor, I get two motives on my hand: first, I don't want to be seen as cynical about love and love story; second, I don't want to appear as ignorant and rascal in comparison.

I guess it would not be difficult to write a book review - you either praise it first, or save the praise towards the end to balance. I'll put positives up front.

What would a CCTV commercial say about the book, in its typical oh-so 90s style? I'm thinking along the lines of "it fills up a deficit of book reading experience". Voyeuristic pleasure of fast-food culture, that is. Would yo want to know the detailed account of what girls are really thinking when they spot you and reach out for possible love? Do you want to know the secrets to impressing a sensitive Chinese college-age girl? You are in luck, as the book is consists of diaries of the-couple-to-be. It may as well be a sort of reference book for people who haven't experienced the courting precess, as the forward suggested.

O.k., is this harmonious enough already? For those who want to get the beef out of the book, you'll in for some disappointment. Reading the book is like seeing dinosaur s in a museum; the skeleton is there, but that's all there to it. Did I forget to mention you can stop reading this if all that you care is a feel good story and want to be moved? Whatever the content in the soup, it's getting what you want that counts most, isn't it?

The skeleton of the story is simple. Girl meets boy in Tibet. They develop feelings toward each other since both are longing (not to mention they are in their respective relationships at the time). Love is only to be revealed when they have to depart, back to their own separate city, but with some persistence and stroke of luck they make it. Thank god.

The boy's dairy drags on tour itineraries. The girl's provides more detailed account of their interactions, occasional reflection, and rare touching moments. Unfortunately we are provided limited to no clue of the characters in the story. What traits and backgrounds lead to them liking each other in secret early on? What does he see in the girl that makes him love her? Thus, it's very difficult to actually get into the character, how would the relationship end up if he isn't luckily presented the chance to go to London, where she's scheduled to study at. In the end, all I can guess is Tibet. The romantic mighty Tibet.

How is it possible that the accounts straight from diaries aren't helpful in getting the readers into the characters? You may ask. Well, I think that's precisely the fault and fast-food-ness in the book. There are a great deal that we presume of knowing and not putting into our diaries. Even when they triumphantly get together, we readers aren't allowed to share their happiness other than a laundry list activities. O.K., that's understandable too. People write a lot less into diaries when they are happy. Why is that, otherwise, we don't see many more love diaries get published? There must be millions worthwhile love diaries out there.

At the end, all we get is a story, a sketchy story, albeit a feel good one.

Avid fans of the book, now don't think I'm cynical about love. I'm not. I'll tip you a secret. Don't ever believe anyone who tell you this is an age of no real love, or this love story is the only palpably real love story. Love never dies. As long as men and women have to eat and sleep, there is love. It's just that most people who get the real love move on to live their happy life, leaving no time to tell their tale . Remember how does Tolstoy put it? yeah, happy families look alike.

If I have to dig what I get out of the book, it's realizing how important mobile text messaging becomes in keeping up relationships, especially to usually shy, inexpressive Chinese. But who am I kidding. You must have already known this. Oh, and my most exciting voyeuristic read was in my 9th grade, and would be forever kept secret.


我很想说好话，真的。《藏地白皮书》是朋友拿着和菜头的推荐介绍的。因这层关系，就有了说好话的两个动机：一，我不想被朋友看成不解风情的冷血动物；二，我不想在网上名人的光环照耀下显得很没有知识没品位。

我猜想写书评也不难，要么把好话放前面，要么把好话放后面。我就放在前面好了。

CCTV的带九十年代风采的广告要是想夸这本书， 一定会说这本书填补了文化快餐业的一项空白。嗯，不夸张得说它填补了满足读者偷窥欲的一项空白。小男生们想知道从心里有意口难开开始的心理过程么？想知道如何打动文女青年么？据说这本书里的都是来自主人公日记的真实的纪录。在这买个老鼠药想自杀还能有假的时代，这是多弥足珍贵啊。以后再也不用让吹嘘当年看过手抄本少女之心的老流氓得意了。和菜头显然也是承认偷窥于这本书的核心地位的，虽然委婉地放到第三：“博客里有男女双方的细腻心理活动全过程，对于尚未恋爱或者处于恋爱中的人，可以作为参考。”

声明下，我并没有对爱情cynical的意思。顺便告诉你们一个秘密：如果有人对你说现在真正的爱情已经死光了，这本书里就是代表硕果仅存的爱情了，千万别信。爱情是不死的，爱情象吃饭睡觉一样，在任何时代都会有真正的爱情。只不过大多数得到爱情的人忙着过自己的红火的小日子，没时间来告诉你们这些还在寻找爱情的人。那啥托老早就总结了，幸福的故事大抵相同。

让我看一下表，和谐时间段过了没有？等不及的读者想吃肉了。肉在哪里？读者本书象是去博物馆看恐龙骨架，喏，这就是史前伟大的恐龙，或是象喝鱼骨头汤，嗯，这就是鱼的味道。对了忘了说了，那些只是想被感动一把，或者借机意淫一下美好爱情的女孩子不用往下读了。不管是鱼骨头汤也好，酸菜鱼片也好，吃到自己想吃的那一口就行了。

故事的鱼骨头或者恐龙骨架很简单。发生在藏地的从同游客到亲密爱人的故事，才子佳人美景大团圆，和菜头的介绍比我能煽动的多。男的不急不缓记着旅游流水账，女的细腻一点，偶尔抒发一下情怀自我剖析一下郎有情郎无情的心理。事实上我很难代入人物，也看不到太多人物性格。我看不到是什么样的性格背景让女生对男孩一开始就忐忑向往。对男孩为什么看上女生喜欢女生什么更是一无所知。也看不出如果不是天作巧合有相聚伦敦的机会，这一对的未来会走向哪里。 我只能猜是西藏，一切都是因为我们伟大的西藏。也许有人要问，难道日记不是最能找到代入感的真切感受？是，正因为是日记才有很多东西理所当然无需交代，也就不剥夺了我们读者吃肉的权利，连我们分享他们的“蜜月”期的喜悦也被流水账一笔带过。我是不是应该反问世界上为什么没有更多爱情日记没有发表？

最后我们剩下的只有故事，美好的故事，正如世间无数没有发表的美好故事，如故事会故事一样少肉的故事。恐龙骨架的故事。当然，我对故事会没意见，对为故事会美好故事叫好也没意见。有一点对本书不太公平：最大的两个看点--最后的结局和大昭寺煽情的那段都已经在给读者的信里被卖掉了。

还要再挖掘的话，这书的另一个启迪是手机短信在谈恋爱中极其好用，能保持快速的信息传递，还能打上偏保守的中国人嘴上说不出的肉麻情话。瞧我这废话的，这已经是人人皆知的秘密。我就怕那个“热心“导演去折腾出个“手机2：短信”来。

没猜错的话，现在你一定有把rocking改成史上最难搞的人的冲动。忘了说了，这本书不是让我最兴奋的偷窥阅读。那专利永远属于我初中时报复性偷看暗恋我的邻桌的那一刻。

原型，给想把偷窥进行到底的人 冰箱推荐

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