Excerpt from The Bridegroom by Ha Jin, plus links to reviews, author biography & more

Huping grinned like an imbecile. "So people still think I'm a tiger-fighter?"

"Yes, they do," I said and turned my head away. Beyond the double-paned window, the yard was clear and white. A group of children were building a snowman, his neck encircled by an orange scarf. Their mouths puffed out warm air, and their shouts rose like sparrows' twitterings. They wore their coats unbuttoned. They looked happy.

Huping stroked his stubbly chin and grinned again. "Well," he said, "I am a tiger-killer."

Excerpted from The Bridegroom by Ha Jin Copyright© 2000 by Ha Jin. Excerpted by permission of Pantheon, a division of Random House, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.