Tiananmen Square - 'Extraordinary' William Boyd

''An extraordinary book. Truly important'' William Boyd

''Outstanding ... Intimate as well as epic'' Sunday Times

''Poignant and powerful'' Daily Mail

''Utterly gripping'' The Spectator

''Beautiful and devastating'' Irish News

Sunday Times Best Summer Reads 2024

Longlisted for the Authors- Club Best First Novel Award 2025

Shortlisted in the British Book Awards 2025

A stunning, deeply moving novel about growing up in Beijing in the 1970s and 80s and taking part in Tiananmen Square protests

It is Beijing in the 1970s, and Lai lives with her parents, grandmother and younger brother in a small flat in a working-class area. Her grandmother is a formidable figure - no-nonsense and uncompromising, but loving towards her grandd