The Cry of the Silkworm

1994, rural China: Twelve-year-old Chen Di loves and protects her long-awaited little brother, but when she witnesses an unforgettable scene with her aunties and the authorities, everything she thought she knew about her community is ripped away from her.

2002, Shanghai: A gutsy young aikido-practising Chen Di is utterly transformed from her naïve younger self. Now hardened by experience, her determination to avenge her mother's killer is stronger than ever – and she has steeled herself against affection of any kind. Alone in the big city, and with the unwanted attentions of a cocky, wise-cracking teenage boy and a martial arts teacher intent on peace over violence, her toughness starts being chipped away – planting a seed of doubt about going through with her plan for revenge.

Spanning a decade at the turn of the twenty-first century, The Cry of the Silkworm is an emotional and thought-provoking tale of one young woman's coming of age – and a stark look at the impact of China's one-child policy, from a strikingly fresh new voice.