Super Short Summary

Life and Death Are Wearing Me Out by Mo Yan follows Ximen Nao, a landowner in China, who is executed in 1950 and reincarnated as various animals— a donkey, an ox, a pig, a dog, a monkey— and finally as a human child, witnessing significant historical moments from 1950 to 2000. The novel explores themes of suffering, transformation, and the impact of Communist rule on individuals and communities. Contains references to torture and physical abuse.