Book review: The Thousand Things, by John Spurling

by John Spurling
Overlook
4.5 stars

Just as a master painter of yore would define a landscape in sweeping strokes of his brush and draw the eye to some intricate detail, so John Spurling writes the captivating story of Yuan dynasty artist Wang Meng.

The renowned painter wrote his own memoirs, before he starved himself to death in prison, and Spurling's historical novel is a rare treasure.

The story is told through Wang's eyes in a time of turmoil for the dynasty. We meet the narrator in prison and from there he shares sections of his life. Colourful threads of journeys, meetings, friendships and loss slowly coalesce to become a literary work of art.

Wang Meng is of noble birth and may have gone far in government service, if only he was ambitious enough. But, much to his wife's exasperation, apparently all he wants to do is stare at mountains and paint them. Despite his desperate attempts not to become involved in the confusing lead up to rebellion, fate conspires to draw him into the violence.

While this story is a compelling tale, it is anything but a weekend page-turner. There is plenty of action, some of it quite violent - rebellions, bandits and beheadings, some of it breathtakingly tense as Wang strives to be a "virtuous" man according to his own belief system. He is no hero with a plan. Rather he dithers, hesitates, meanders and questions his way through life.

But the story's delicate details never paint him as weak. He is more philosophical, and strives to remain detached from circumstances through his art. He seems only to notice the disintegrating circumstances around him as they affect him and his friends, but for a good part of the story he accepts the fate of those obviously suffering from starvation and disease around him. Wang, it seems, abhors change.