To the Dogs Summary
Jianan Qian

To the Dogs Overview

In Jianan Qian's short story "To the Dogs" 15-year-old first-person narrator Zhao is leaving his Shanghai hometown for a government assignment in a rural town. He knows that he might never see his home or family again, but tries to contain his emotions. Over the course of his first months in X, Zhao realizes that to survive in this unfamiliar realm, he will have to make an impossible number of sacrifices. The short story explores themes including forgetfulness, longing, and survival.