First published 2016
Zhang Zhongshan works construction in New York, but the city belongs to a different America now. The Second Great Depression and American Liberation War left the United States under Chinese control, and Communist orthodoxy governs daily life. Zhang faces a double burden in this new order. His mixed cultural background marks him as suspect, while his homosexuality threatens his safety in a society that demands conformity. He cannot reshape the political forces that surround him or overturn the system that judges him. Instead, Zhang must navigate the narrow spaces where he can exist authentically. Each day brings fresh calculations about what to reveal and what to hide. The young engineer searches for ways to build a meaningful life within the constraints of a world that views both his heritage and his desires as problems to be solved or eliminated.
Genres: fiction, historical-fiction, 20th-century, 21st-century, alternate-history, gay-fiction
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, found-family
Setting: China, New York
Period: Second Great Depression
313 pages · Paperback · Gollancz
Content warnings: homophobia