Four Treasures of the Sky: The compelling debut about identity and belonging in the 1880s American West

Description

'An engulfing, bighearted and heartbreaking debut. Illuminates shocking injustices, making us stop and consider how many survive to this day' Ann Patchett Zhifu, China, 1882. Daiyu 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 once imagined. Over the years that follow she is forced to reinvent 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 American West 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.

Jenny Tinghui Zhang is a Chinese-American writer. She was born in Changchun, China and grew up in Austin, Texas, where she currently lives. Four Treasures of the Sky is her debut.

An engulfing, bighearted and heartbreaking novel. Illuminates shocking injustices, making us stop and consider how many survive to this day -- Ann Patchett, author of Women's Prize longlisted The Dutch House An impressive and original debut * THE SUNDAY TIMES * A sweeping adventure of identity, love and belonging -- C Pam Zhang, Man Booker longlisted author of How Much of These Hills are Gold Brilliant and devastating. Four Treasures of the Sky tells the story of Daiyu, who is brought to America against her will and forced to hide who she is even as she grows into her true self. Weaving together myth and history, Zhang's work is both timeless and utterly necessary right now. -- Anna North, author of the New York Times bestseller 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 This unforgettable novel dazzles. An exhilarating rush of character, history and storytelling -- Kali Fajardo-Anstine, US National Book Award finalist author of Sabrina & Corina Brings alive a heroine for the ages, an indomitable teenage girl whose relentless spirit and self-reinvention carries this story. Daiyu is sure to take her place in the canon of great Western heroines next to True Grit's Mattie Ross -- Juliet Grames, author of The Seven or Eight Deaths of Stella Fortuna This book is haunting, luscious and precise - it's historical fiction as we most want and need it to be. Four Treasures of the Sky paints a neglected chapter in history with sharp and devastating brushstrokes -- Julia Fine, author of The Upstairs House A lyrical and sweeping Bildungsroman, fierce and moving * Publishers Weekly, starred review * A book to sit alongside Yaa Gyasi's Homecoming and Anna North's Outlawed, this is a powerful tale of reclamation, spun with soul by a remarkable new talent * Lauren Puckett, Shelf Awareness *