What a beautifully written book about gay men in rural china, which then follows a man and his wife to New York. I loved the references to NYC Chinatown, past and present.

This was the first book of this genre I have read and I have say it blew me away. It definitely tore at my heart strings periodically throughout the book. Amazing!

Bao Mai and her husband Old Second, continue to carve out a meager existence after emigrating to New York from rural China over thirty years ago. Their love isn’t real, though. Their secrets have been left behind with old lovers that frequented the Workers Cinema. Within those walls, men had found privacy and companionship with each other, and Bao Mai guarded their secrets daily while selling tickets to the closeted gay men, keeping family and inquiring lovers away.

As the years tick by and constantly reminded of the past they had left behind, they somehow continue with broken hearts from the memories they both share. Memories that seem to be weighing them down.

This was such a heartbreakingly beautiful novel. With haunting prose, I felt that Tang truly understood his characters in each stage of their lives. The grief I felt melting off each page was palpable and made my heart ache for Old Second and every other character in this novel.

I wouldn’t say this was an upbeat story of finding love, but a story that felt true-to-life with more heartache and longing raked throughout the pages. I nevertheless enjoyed everything it offered and would have gladly read on for another thousand pages to soak in the dreary yet lovesick characters.

Wonderful. Gut-wrenching. Heartbreaking. Yet absolutely beautiful.

The publisher provided ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Cinema Love weaves a heart rendering tale through time and space that shows how deeply intergenerational trauma runs, and how love and experiences transcend time. The storytelling illustrates beautifully how time isn't always felt linearly, and even with the supernatural elements, shows how transcendent collective memory can be felt. Ghosts of the past exist both metaphorically and physically in this story. There's love and community and heartbreak in the story, one of a different time and culture interwoven with the present, but still as raw and real as the experiences and emotions of the present.

This book rendered me speechless. It is at once tender but also epic, sad but also hilarious, disgusting but also sexy. I became so invested in the characters I felt like I was living with them in their strange, squalid homes. I cared so deeply for all their grievances and heartbreak - the big, the small, the very petty. These characters - gay, closeted men in rural China, and the wives they have to marry - everyday people with a big secret they are forced to keep - are characters I've not seen before in fiction, and I'm appalled not to have gotten to know them sooner. I love this book very much and think it's going to be a classic.