Blurb:
'I lived everything during these three years: heroism, glory, treachery, love, indifference, suffering, humiliation. It was China, I was seven years old.'
So announces the narrator of Loving Sabotage, Amélie Nothomb's critically acclaimed novel about a young girl already stripped of illusions. The daughter of diplomats posted to Peking in the mid-seventies, our unnamed narrator charges about her tightly enclosed world on her 'horse' (bicycle). There, on the asphalt-playground-battlefield, she discovers her first love: six-year-old Elena, her very own coldly indifferent 'Helen of Troy'. But she also learns life's hardest rule: that if she wants to be loved, she must be cruel in return.
Poignant, provocative - and often hilarious - Loving Sabotage chronicles one girl's precocious understanding of the struggles and pains of adult life.

Birthday Wishlist surprise!
Have a great day!

You've really made my day! This is one of the eldest wishes on my wish list, I love Nothomb! Thanks for everything else included: chocolate, cat toy, BC-labels, rubber stamp, owl-themed clothespin and the birthday card. You are just amazing!

This autobiographical book was quite a strange one, but liked it and found it interesting! What I liked most was the way Nothomb describes the cruelness of children, the war inside 'the ghetto', their racism - things about children we wouldn't like to see. This was a book describing people's inner aggressions, which can be seen between children, adults and nations, in China of the 70's and every other countries and centuries!

KTMC 2015 # 47

Whaaat?! An Amélie Nothomb book I've never heard of — and it's offered to me at the beginning of our local meet-up? Of course I'll accept the offer! Thanks so much, lukutuoli!

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Edited to add (on Sept, 2, 2015) that Le Sabotage amoureux brought the author two literary awards in 1993, Prix littéraire de la Vocation and Prix Jacques-Chardonne.

Nothomb always writes in a beautiful, moving way. But I must say that I prefer her encounters with Japanese culture. I don't know if it's just me or me in this situation of life or whatever reason, but I really didn't much care about this book (this memoir if you like). It's such a brutal story I'd rather live without right now. Admittedly, there was a piece I enjoyed. It was when she explained some of the difficulties diplomats had when dealing with Chinese governments.
However, I am truly glad I read this book even if I might have done it some other time. Thank you so much for giving me a chance me to do it, lukutuoli & ApoloniaX!
This book already knows where to go next, it's just expecting some company to travel with. Loving Sabotage is now reserved.

Last time I checked, this book was on your wishlist. I hope you're still wishing for it. Happy reading!

Yes, Loving Sabotage is on my wishlist! Even though You don't seem to need any wishlists when you want to make your fellow bookcrosser happy. Many thanks for that huge book box I received today, Tarna!

Even though it's a short book, I really had to put some effort into reading. As lukutuoli writes, this is a book describing things we wouldn't like to see. It's definitely worth reading, but I also might have done it some other time when not feeling a bit stressed and tired. Nevertheless, time spent reading Nothomb is never wasted time. Many thanks for sharing!

Hope you enjoy it, sannuli!

Wow, thank you! 😊