Persimmon Apartment

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Song Zhiyu x Cheng Po

On my way to Cheng Po on January 20th, 2022, it snowed for the first time in my life.

—–

What do we live off?

In “Persimmon Apartment,” the unknown author wrote:

Living off the poverty of these corners, living off what has not been spoken, living off the chronic issues of life, living off these again and again, we are nearing death.

—–

Living off silence and tears, some nights I watched you and your flashy tattoo that contradicted your cold temperament. We lived off departures, a first-time chase, a reunion that has not yet happened, and a train that is determined to go north amidst the heavy, drifting snow.

Associated Names
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柿色公寓
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Recommendation Lists
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Latest Release

Date Group Release
09/22/22 muiie c1
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muiie
muiie rated it
September 22, 2022
Status: Completed
TW// su*cide, death, & blood.

Hey :) TL here!!

(Even though it’s tagged with tragedy, it’s an open/HE ending for Song Zhiyu and Cheng Po).

Persimmon Apartment unfolds in short, episodic clips of a corner of life we do not know and will never fully know. From the beginning, we are thrust into an abrupt and frenzy setting where everything that happens after seems to be spiraling out of control or even greatly exaggerated, all born from the poor conditions of life in the apartment. In part, some of the events are... more>> exaggerated. However, the rest of them are very real and powerful: the poverty-strickeness of unknown towns, the pervasiveness of family disfigurement and chains, the wandering children, the effects of an urban-focused lifestyle on the elderly, the unbotheredness for those not ourselves, and so much more. In Persimmon Apartment, all of these are heightened to a degree where we can feel the pain they cause.

The synopsis doesn’t give away much of the novel besides two names and a pairing. We are first introduced to one family in the apartment through the main character’s interactions with their clothing. Later on, we are introduced to another character. And another. And another, until we have been through all the relevant residents in the apartment. Almost every chapter is dedicated to introducing a resident and their story. No matter how brief the stories may be, we get a deep glance into the residents’ personalities, lives, problems, pain, and love.

Persimmon Apartment tells the stories of more than two people. It tells the story of an apartment full of forgotten people, how they have interacted with each other, and how they have shaped each other.

Interactions between Song Zhiyu and Cheng Po are sprinkled throughout each clip, but it is only in clips 4, 5, and 6 that we really see their relationship “progress.” Initially, we are led to believe that Song Zhiyu and Cheng Po are strangers but, soon, we see that there is something between them that we cannot know, will never know, and can only speculate as to what has happened. As the synopsis suggests, there is a reunion that has not yet happened in our timeline, and that carries into the novel in one way or another. Even if they do not interact much throughout the novel, I think that their feelings are so tender still. I wait for their reunion in another timeline.

I really loved the way Persimmon Apartment was written. It felt as if I was reading through a bird’s eye view, yet it was told from a first-person perspective. It also felt very nostalgic and yearnful. It might be one of the best reads I have stumbled on so far this year!

As I was reading through the comments on Chang Pei, I think this one (a bunch of comments combined together) sums up the novel pretty well:

In Persimmon Apartment, there are things we will never know but can only think that we know. <<less
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