Hook, line and sinker

[Photo by CAI MENG/CHINA DAILY]

Readers of some bestsellers feel duped by hype whose quality far exceeds that of the book they have paid for.

"This seems to have been on the bestselling list forever, so I bought it, but I just don't get why it's so popular."

The exasperation of Charlotte Qiu, 33, Suzhou is palpable as she tackles me to find out what I think of The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, a bestseller in China for more than 10 years.

"I gave up after reading a couple of pages," Qiu says.

Fu Sihong, 31, of Beijing is among those who beg to differ with Qiu, saying: "It is a great book".

Many people buy a book simply because it is a bestseller, and sometimes some fall under the spell of a publishers' slick advertising. However, as Qiu's view attests, sales figures and publicity do not necessarily equate to an enjoyable read.

On douban.com, China's version of Goodreads, advertising for The Ferryman, by the British writer Claire McFall, bills it as a work that "has won five international literary awards, and has been sold in 33 countries, touching qianwan (thousands or millions) with its healing power".

The novel tells of a 15-year-old named Dylan who dies in a train accident and meets her "ferryman", who leads her soul "home", but not before passing through a dangerous wasteland where demons lie in wait.