Review for The most distant way by Xueni Chen

The most distant way is a story of two different versions of China, one from over a century ago and one of present day. That theme of old versus new is an ongoing one throughout the novel, showcased by the young woman caught out of time, Liu Hailing, and her struggles in a much different new world. Luckily, she doesn’t have to struggle on her own, as a young man with the same family name finds her and goes out of his way to help.

Author Xueni Chen does touch on the two possibly sharing a common ancestry but doesn’t pursue it past both Liu Hailing and Liu Jian using it as a cover story for her presence in the future. However, the continued use of the two pretending to be cousins does make the eventual romance blossoming between them seem strange to some of the background characters. The highest points of the novel are the interactions Jian and Hailing, particularly when he’s first trying to demonstrate the technology of modern day to a young woman who was scared by a truck in the first few hours of her journey into the future. That sense of sweetness extends beyond the interaction between two characters as well.

Unfortunely though, much of the beauty of a love that bridges time itself is lost in the execution. The formatting of the novel makes it a struggle to read at points and even changes from section to section. Paragraph breaks only go to the next line without any indents but sometimes vary with a single space at the start. The flow of the text is also disrupted by frequent errors, and another round of editing would greatly help. Using the premise of two different times colliding, large portions of the text describe the culture and geography of China. And while that information is fascinating, the percentage it takes up compared to the rest of the story reads almost like a travel guide at points.

I do want to stress that there is enormous potential in The most distant way. And despite the rating, I would very much like to read a sequel to this story if one was planned. Unfortunately though, I have to rate its current state and not what the novel could be.

The most distant way is available to buy on Amazon.