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‘An extraordinary book. Truly important’ William Boyd

‘Outstanding … Intimate as well as epic’ Sunday Times

‘Poignant and powerful’ Daily Mail

‘Utterly gripping’ The Spectator

‘Beautiful and devastating’ Irish News

Sunday Times Best Summer Reads 2024

Longlisted for the Authors’ Club Best First Novel Award 2025

Shortlisted in the British Book Awards 2025

A STORY OF UNBREAKABLE FRIENDSHIP AND THE PRICE OF FREEDOM

Beijing in the 1970s. Lai lives with her parents, grandmother and youngerbrother in a small flat in a working-class area. Her grandmother is a formidable figure, while her ageing beauty of a mother snipes at her father, a sunken figure haunted by the Cultural Revolution.

As she grows up, Lai comes to discern the realities of the country she lives in. But she also goes through the ebbs and flows of friendships; troubles and rewards at home and at school; and the first steps and missteps in love. A gifted student, she attends the prestigious Peking University; while there she becomes involved in the student protests that have been gathering speed. It is the late 1980s, and change is in the air . . .

5 STAR READER REVIEWS

‘Captivating, intimate and so moving, I finished it in tears’
‘Wow! This was a stunning novel’
‘Probably one of the most memorable, poignant, emotional books I’ve ever read … This will crawl for a while under my skin. Can I give a 6th star?’
‘A brilliant and important read’
‘Beautifully written. I read it slowly as I wanted to savour every word’
‘There is something so deeply touching, tender yet powerful in the writing … This coming-of-age story is compelling, haunting, emotive and written beautifully. By the end, it left me in tears. It is a book I will long remember’