Diablo’s Boys
ABOUT
THE BOOK
Suwei is a teenage hermit with an overprotective mother and an addiction to video games. One day, another young man penetrates Suwei’s hermetically sealed existence, and the two wander deep into the labyrinth of Diablo’s virtual world. As Suwei and this enigmatic interloper, Li Wen, form an unspoken bond, secrets are laid bare, layer by layer: the damage done to Suwei and his mother’s guilt, and Li Wen’s own gruesome past. These two boys, neither of whom ever really grew up, find themselves on a collision course, drawn inexorably together by an undeniable truth: There is no escaping a mother’s love.
Original title in Chinese 男孩们, published by Beijing October Art & Literature Publishing House (2021)
ABOUT
THE TRANSLATOR Nicky
Harman
Nicky Harman lives in the UK. She has won several awards for Chinese literary translation, including the 2020 Special Book Award, China, the 2015 Mao Tai Cup People’s Literature Chinese-English translation prize, and the 2013 China International Translation Contest, Chinese-to-English section. When not translating, she promotes contemporary Chinese fiction through teaching, blogs, talks and her work on Paper-Republic.org.
Nicky Harman lives in the UK. She has won several awards for Chinese literary translation, including the 2020 Special Book Award, China, the 2015 Mao Tai Cup People’s Literature Chinese-English translation prize, and the 2013 China International Translation Contest, Chinese-to-English section. When not translating, she promotes contemporary Chinese fiction through teaching, blogs, talks and her work on Paper-Republic.org.
ABOUT
THE TRANSLATOR Michael
Day
Michael Day is a traveller, translator, and writer who lives in Los Angeles and Mexico City. His awards include the 2015 Bai Meigui Translation Prize and the 2020 Jules Chametzky Translation Prize. His work has appeared in Georgia Review, Massachusetts Review, Words Without Borders, and Chicago Quarterly Review, among other publications.
Michael Day is a traveller, translator, and writer who lives in Los Angeles and Mexico City. His awards include the 2015 Bai Meigui Translation Prize and the 2020 Jules Chametzky Translation Prize. His work has appeared in Georgia Review, Massachusetts Review, Words Without Borders, and Chicago Quarterly Review, among other publications.
NOMINATING LIBRARY COMMENTS
Youth, Mother and Son, and Spiritual Struggle in a Changing World. Diablo’s Boys is a dark, introspective novel set in contemporary Beijing that delves into the spiritual struggles and arrested development of youth in a rapidly changing society. At its core, the novel explores the complex bond between mother and son, focusing on Suwei, a 15-year-old autistic boy who spends his days immersed in the video game Diablo II as a means of escaping his sheltered and emotionally isolated world, controlled by his overprotective mother, Mrs. Luo. The second narrative thread introduces Li Wen, hired as Suwei’s tutor, who brings with him his own mysterious past and unresolved struggles. The novel further explores generational conflict, identity, and the emotional stasis experienced by the characters. In this sense, the novel reveals the inability to grow, not only due to personal trauma but also because of the rapid changes in the world and society. These challenges—parent-child relationships, bullying, loneliness, desire, power, violence, greed, education misalignments, and more—are not only Chinese issues but global ones. The novel also tackles controversial topics, such as IVF and homosexuality, which challenge traditional Chinese views on marriage and love. It encourages readers to reflect on multiculturalism and guide children’s healthy growth through understanding and love, offering hope in the face of despair. People are unable to adapt, leaving them both distorted and fragile, with their escape into isolation being a direct reflection of being trapped in this turmoil. (Shanxi Library)