Genious composition, something that is really need to be read again and again, with every read exposing more of the intricate details, which there are surely a lot, since this story has been revised for decades by Eileen Chang. It's feels like an unstoppable flow that bring the reader forward, and while glances over a lot of things, it also invites the reader to fill in the blanks - and it's not pretty what kind of imagination the backdrop of the war suggests.
Very powerful writing, deep effect.