Also, I've heard one of the big chains didn't order it...

Borders.

When I began reading this book, I could not get into it. I had thought it was the prose, but halfway through, I came to the horrified realization that I had been steeling myself for exoticism and foreignness, despite the fact that I very much knew that the book was written by a Chinese person who knew something about Chinese culture.

Yes, I'm at that stage right now. I started the book a few days ago, and it doesn't usually take me this long to finish reading, but I feel like I have to be careful with it or something.