Intrigue, betrayal, family secrets, forbidden passions – this tale of adventure and suspense links the Tiananmen Massacre of 1989 and the Kobe earthquake of 1995 through the story of Akihiko Waki, who is living a quiet life as a think-tank director in Kobe, Japan, when he hears rumours that his father, presumed long dead, is in fact alive and in danger. Akihiko undertakes a dangerous journey to China, and in Shanghai learns that what he thought he knew about his father is in fact far from the truth. Here he meets the intriguingly secretive actress Li Xing, who as a pro-democracy activist is herself in danger, and as events gather pace Akihiko’s search for his father also becomes a desperate battle to save her from the brutal authorities…

This new translation of a Japanese novelist famed for his creation of suspense and his Hitchcock-style plotting is a rewarding and gripping read.  This new translation of a Japanese novelist famed for his creation of suspense and his Hitchcock-style plotting is a rewarding and gripping read. 

Noboru Tsujihara (born 1945) is a Japanese novelist and winner of the Akutagawa Prize.

Juliet Carpenter teaches at Doshisha Women’s College of Liberal Arts in Kyoto and works as a freelance translator.