Women, Seated

Stupendous . . . Zhang Yueran's scenes and images have an unworldly gleam of both hard-won insight and timeless truth. The novel is a triumph -- Ian McEwan on Cocoon
A masterful blend of narrative suspense, emotional intimacy and self-discovery -- on Cocoon * Guardian *
Propulsive . . . a nanny witnesses a wealthy Chinese family's fall from grace - all while knowing their darkest secrets' * Millions *
A nanny for a wealthy family plots to kidnap the child in her care. Unfortunately, her plans go off the rails . . . thrilling * NPR *
This is a lovely novel of absences, the story of a family where most of the members are not present, and where the servants are in control. It captures Chinese society at a given moment, but, more important, it creates memorable and fascinating scenes and characters. -- Colm Tóibín, author of Brooklyn
Vivid, smart, suspenseful -- Mo Yan, Nobel Prize-winning author of Frog
Women, Seated is a propulsive, tightly wound, and beautifully observed novel that explores ideas of power, secrets, motherhood, and sacrifice. I couldn't put it down. -- Meg Wolitzer, author of The Female Persuasion
In this tense, spare novel of class, cruelty, and redemption, a woman working as a live-in housekeeper for a wealthy family in Beijing abruptly finds herself responsible for her employers' young son when his father is detained by the authorities and his mother goes into hiding * New Yorker *