Four Treasures of the Sky

A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK · A NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW EDITOR'S CHOICE · REVIEWED ON THE FRONT COVER · INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER“Zhang’s blend of history and magical realism will appeal to fans of Ta-Nehisi Coates’ The Water Dancer as well as Amy Tan's The Valley of Amazement.” —Booklist (starred review)"Engrossing...Epic" (The New York Times Book Review) · "Transporting" (Washington Post) · "Propulsive" (Oprah Daily) · "Surreal and sprawling" (NPR) · "An absolute must-read" (BuzzFeed) · "Radiant" (BookPage)A dazzling debut novel set against the backdrop of the Chinese Exclusion Act, about a Chinese girl fighting to claim her place in the 1880s American WestDaiyu never wanted to be like the tragic heroine for whom she was named, revered for her beauty and cursed with heartbreak. But when she is kidnapped and smuggled across an ocean from China to America, Daiyu must relinquish the home and future she imagined for herself. Over the years that follow, she is forced to keep reinventing herself to survive. From a calligraphy school, to a San Francisco brothel, to a shop tucked into the Idaho mountains, we follow Daiyu on a desperate quest to outrun the tragedy that chases her. As anti-Chinese sentiment sweeps across the country in a wave of unimaginable violence, Daiyu must draw on each of the selves she has been—including the ones she most wants to leave behind—in order to finally claim her own name and story.At once a literary tour de force and a groundbreaking work of historical fiction, Four Treasures of the Sky announces Jenny Tinghui Zhang as an indelible new voice. Steeped in untold history and Chinese folklore, this novel is a spellbinding feat.

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 __________ 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? __________ '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