The Missing Piece: 貌合神离（English Edition）

This novel is presented as a romance between a strong, cold and dominant man and a sightly younger, weak and submissive man whose contractual role is to act as his pretend love interest. The writing is better than this stereotypical set-up suggests. Told mostly from the point of view of the “weaker” man, the tone of the writing is even and restrained, the emotional content half submerged. There are gaps in the younger man’s memory and hints of a past trauma. The mystery of the younger man’s missing memories is a quiet but intriguing presence behind the events of the story as they quietly unfold. He seems to float along in a sort of half-aware state, bleakly accepting himself as a person of little value or ability. As the novel unfolds, the two main characters’ personalities and back stories slowly develop substance and depth; their relationship and its almost tragic origin is revealed as something meaningful but fragile. The body of the novel is not long. The writer has added several additional stories after the end. The first story retells the events of the novel from the perspective of the older man. There is repetition in the retelling of the events, but it feels true to the novel, poetic rather than redundant, and makes the story more complete. I’m not sure why it wasn’t considered as part of the finished novel. The remaining stories are mostly sweet little extras, fun to read. I did not see other books by this author listed on Amazon, but I hope that there will be…

The Missing Piece is m/m romance set in modern China. I don’t know how openly gay one can be in China, but here it seemed to be fairly unproblematic, family disownments aside. Shen Mo is an art graduate in his early twenties. Due to an accident that he cannot remember, he’s lost his ability to paint. The only thing he remembers with any clarity is that he was saved from homelessness by Ji Mingxuan, a wealthy businessman about his own age. Mr. Ji is utterly devoted to his sister’s happiness, so much so that when the man she wants turns out to be Shen Mo’s ex-boyfriend, he strikes a deal with Shen Mo. They pretend to be lovers so that the ex and Mr. Ji’s sister can pursue their romance in peace. Out of gratitude, Shen Mo agrees, even though his ex and Miss Ji aren’t even in the same country to witness the fake relationship. When they return to China, things start to unravel fast. Shen Mo’s memories begin to surface even as Mr. Ji seems to want to make their relationship more real. Inevitably, everything steers towards heartbreak for everyone. This was the best fake relationship romance I’ve read. The past wasn’t at all what it seemed, and the fake romance wasn’t as fake as Shen Mo believed. Much relied on miscommunication, which normally is my pet peeve, but here it worked perfectly. Shen Mo started as a tragic character who suffered from memory loss and PTSD and worked towards getting his life back in order. Mr. Ji seemed to be a cold, callous man who only used Shen Mo…

The story really sucks you in! I definitely was touched and emotional at some points. This book is not a long read so it's good to read in one sitting. I now wish there was more. Although I do think the ending was a bit rushed, the overall story was great.

The TL;DR: Worth reading: Absolutely Worth a re-read: Without question Romance: Yes, and tension and all the feels. (Danmei intimacy tropes aside.) Steamy: And then some Did anything break my immersion? Nothing whatsoever. Recommend? Yes. Read it. Now. I found myself surprised quite a few times with how engrossed I became with this story. Though MM and Danmei are favorites of mine this wasn’t one I’d usually go for and I’m so glad I did. The single POV was perfect for the story and it’s use worked really well. There were a few times where the story could have thrown me off with some of the topics involved (including PTSD) but the author handled all of it well. I loved the main characters and found their evolution in the story a journey I was totally on board for. No one dimensional mains here. They are nuanced and the unraveling of those depths made the rather quick (almost novella) length of the core story still work. I didn’t want it to end not because things weren’t wrapped up (they were) but because I enjoyed it so much. The writer in me was stoked too. How’s that for a bonus?

This book is not for the narrow minded reader. Do not read it if you are prejudiced even at the slightest about the variety of the human conditions that exists. This book contains all; the joys and sorrows, the ecstasy and pain, love and sacrifice, selfishness, cruelty, greed, remorse and metal illness. Everyone of those conditions are described in detail, dissected with a sharp knife that cut to the bone. Compassion and an open mind is a must for a reader. The novel is well written, well edited, and translated. The prose flows, the language is clear, no pretenses, no explanations offered. I personally prefer linear stories, but the framework of this novel truly reflects the mental condition of its protagonists and fits the story. My personal preference is a different genre, still I found myself reading this novel with interest, wondering at times how some people can be so cruel to each other while others love so deeply that they are ready to sacrifice anything to that love.