Waiting (1999) by Ha Jin is a poignant novel set in Communist China, exploring the emotional and moral struggles of a man caught between duty and desire. The story follows Lin Kong, a military doctor, who spends 18 years trying to divorce his arranged wife to marry the woman he truly loves, a nurse named Manna Wu. Through Lin’s quiet desperation and indecision, the novel examines themes of love, loyalty, societal pressure, and the passage of time. It won the National Book Award and the PEN/Faulkner Award for its lyrical, restrained prose and deep psychological insight.
“Ha Jin profoundly understands the conflict between the individual and society, between the timeless universality of the human heart and constantly shifting politics of the moment. With wisdom, restraint, and empathy for all his characters, he vividly reveals the complexities and subtleties of a world and a people we desperately need to know.”—Judges’ Citation, National Book Award
