"The Mistake by the River" is one of Yu Hua's pioneering series of works, which fictionalizes a detective story. By the mysterious and tempting river, the fourth mother-in-law was killed, and the criminal police captain Ma Zhe was responsible for investigating the case. The evidence shows that the "madman" in the town is the murderer, but the law is helpless against the madman. Next, the madman killed people one after another. Ma Zhe, who couldn't bear it, shot the madman to death with his own hands. After the madman died, Ma Zhe became a madman in people's eyes. The main purpose of the novel is not to parody or reveal violence, but to show the truth of death in the world and explore the philosophy of survival in the face of an absurd world.
