In Memory of the Departed

In this gripping tale of love, betrayal and revolution, Chen Danyan takes the reader on an extraordinary journey through the complexities wrought by history on a mother, her daughter and their circle of friends in Shanghai during the tumultuous years between 1944 and 1978.

With moving descriptions, this story brings to life the hardships of post-war China as well as the difficulty of making sense in a world whose moral, political and social boundaries were shifting with impossible speed.

Between Confidantes

A beautifully wrought and intriguing novel set amidst Shanghai's leafy plane trees and softly lit streets, Between Confidantes recounts the story of a friendship torn apart by love and ambition.

As Xiaomin struggles to make her way through a nursing career by day and work in a bar at night, her life as a single girl reveals the paradoxes and complexities faced by China's young women. Xiaomin's best friend An'an is married and has a lovely home, but does not realize how vulnerable her happiness and marriage really are until she leaves Shanghai for a few weeks. Desire and loyalty are set against each other as Xiaomin tries to figure out what the rules of success mean in contemporary China. Her heart-felt memories of a childhood spent with her grandmother, and her current dilemmas weave themselves through this compelling novel.