A propulsive and dazzling debut novel set against the backdrop of the Chinese Exclusion Act, and one Chinese girl fighting to claim her place

''An engulfing, bighearted and heartbreaking novel'' ANN PATCHETT, author of Women''s Prize longlisted The Dutch House

''A sweeping adventure of identity, love and belonging'' C PAM ZHANG, Man Booker longlisted author of How Much of These Hills are Gold

''An impressive and original debut'' THE SUNDAY TIMES
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Daiyu was named after a ghost . . .

Little Daiyu is twelve when her parents disappear. So she runs, disguising herself as a boy, to sweep the steps of Master Wang''s calligraphy school in Zhifu.

But this is just the beginning of a journey that sends her across an ocean to San Francisco and the lawless American west.

Kidnapped. Trafficked. Betrayed.
Prize virgin in a brothel.
Passion. Revenge. Freedom.
A woman in a man''s world.

Daiyu fears her name is a curse on her life.
But what if it might yet set her free?
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''Brilliant and devastating . . . Weaving together myth and history, Zhang''s work is both timeless and utterly necessary right now'' ANNA NORTH, New York Times bestselling author of Outlawed

''An instant and necessary classic, easily among the best novels of this past decade. The story lingers long after its final pages'' T Kira Madden, author of Long Live the Tribe of Fatherless Girls

''An astonishing novel propelled by private and public histories, rich with reflections on self-making, moral calling, great love, and profound injustice'' Megha Majumdar, author of A Burning