Critical Praise

"Hill understands, like Tolstoy, that human nature cannot change along with the times....This is a book of exoticisms, intoxicated by the human landscape of the Far East, a place of firecrackers and lotus roots....A first novel filled with sensual delight."

——Independent on Sunday

"Compelling and very moving."

——Time Out

"A minor masterpiece....This is a beautiful book. Reading it is like discovering an early novel by D. H. Lawrence...Hill has all the hallmarks of a major writer."

——Taipei Times

"Justin Hill knows China inside out. Every sentence is filled with knowledge, affection, and a poignant sense of loss."

——Washington Post