River East, River West : Shortlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction 2024

SHORTLISTED FOR THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION 2024Shanghai, 2007: feeling betrayed by her American mother's engagement to their rich landlord Lu Fang, fourteen-year-old Alva begins plotting her escape. But the exclusive American School - a potential ticket out - is not what she imagined. Qingdao, 1985: newlywed Lu Fang works as a lowly shipping clerk. Though he aspires to a bright future, he is one of many casualties of harsh political reforms. Then China opens up to foreigners and capital, and Lu Fang meets a�woman who makes him question what he should settle for... A mesmerising reversal of the east-west immigrant narrative set against China's economic boom,�River East, River West�is a deeply�moving exploration of race, identity and family, of capitalism's false promise and private dreams.�