Mr. Muo is a 40-year old Chinese man who spent years studying Freud in Paris. He returns to China to spread Freud's psychoanalysis throughout the country. His university love, however, is imprisoned for some photos she took. A corrupt judge will only give her clemency if Mr. Muo brings him a virgin maiden for his own pleasure. Mr. Muo, a naive virgin himself, sets out on his quixotic quest, searching for the right woman and offering to interpret people's dreams. Along the way, he learns a lot about life, love, and himself. His imprisoned love might soon be forgotten because of all the new woman whom Mr. Muo has now loved.
Mr. Muo's Travelling Couch by Dai Sijie (author of
Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress) has received mostly positive reviews with BookPage saying, "Sijie, who has lived in France since 1984, excels at painting this miniature of a complex, idealistic man facing a complicated ordeal, and in so doing, both informs and inspires."
