Snapshots of a Small Town

Author：Chan Yu-Hang
Publisher：Rye Field Publishing Co.
Published Date：2012.07

【Synopsis】

Snapshots of a Small Town（小鎮生活指南）is like a nostalgic movie and nothing less than a time capsule. During the course of reading this novel, we would unwittingly travel back in time to the idyllic, innocent 60s.

The story begins with the return of Maoxiong Yu, a high school teacher, from metropolitan Taipei to a small town located in the eastern part of Taiwan. Unlike the ordinary traditional urban areas, the small town is a gathering place for newly settled farmers, relegated public servants, failed business owners who care nothing but to get away from it all, stationed soldiers, or even pioneers in search of new adventures. Here is also the settlement by people with various ethnicities.

Some high school students faced with the upcoming college entrance exam that determines their future, one bullied boy in the middle school, a worn-out teacher coming home for healing, a pair of bright young sisters striving through hardships, a photographer looking for the meaning of life, a sergeant major whose life is going down hill, as well as doctors, pastors, and journalists. These people live their seemingly ordinary life for months and years, but hiding deep down are their unspeakable sorrow, uncertain prospects, and feelings of apprehension. The townsfolk, no matter fervent or dejected, live together through life’s ups and downs.