Fang Fang

Soft Burial by Fang Fang begins with a mysterious, nameless protagonist. Decades earlier, she was pulled out of a river in a state of near-death; upon regaining consciousness, she discovered that her entire memory had been erased. The narrative follows her journey through recovery as she takes a job as a housekeeper in the home of a powerful cadre, marries...

"She knew that if she didn't say her piece, that flame would never be extinguished; even after death, it would continue raging." The Running Flame opens with its protagonist in prison awaiting execution, desperate to give an account of her life. Yingzhi, a girl from the countryside, sees opportunity in the liberal trends sweeping across China. After high school, she...