Overview
'A heart-breaking, moving, and soaring novel. An important literary feat from an exciting new voice' NGUYỄN PHAN QUẾ MAI, global best-selling author of The Mountains Sing and Dust Child Hong Kong, 1941. Following the Japanese occupation of Shanghai, the wealthy Tang family flee to Hong Kong. As the First Wife of the family, Mingzhu leads a sheltered - if lonely - existence overseeing her daughter Qiang and managing the household alongside her devoted maid, Biyu. But when the Japanese army invade, the three women are scattered. Mingzhu is coerced into working for a Japanese captain. Qiang and Biyu escape the island, only to be forced into factory work then separated after an encounter with the East River Column Resistance fighters. The longer the brutal occupation lasts, the more determined the women are to resist. And as war rages around the world, each is holding onto the hope that the other is alive. Beautifully told and compulsively written, When Sleeping Women Wake is an utterly transporting story of female resistance and untold bravery, at once epic and intimate, heartbreaking and hopeful. Perfect for fans of Lisa See, Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai and Kristin Hannah. 'A lushly romantic and impassioned story of women's agency and resilience' JUHEA KIM 'Compelling, beautiful, and deeply moving . . . [a] stunning tale of love, loyalty and survival' WEINA DAI RANDEL 'A breathtaking, important story of family, love and endurance . . . historical fiction at its finest' WIZ WHARTON
Full Product Details
Author: Emma Pei Yin
Publisher: Quercus Publishing
Imprint: Quercus Publishing
ISBN: 9781529440638
ISBN 10: 1529440637
Pages: 464
Publication Date: 17 June 2025
Audience:
General/trade
,
General
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming
Availability: Not yet available
This item is yet to be released. You can pre-order this item and we will dispatch it to you upon its release.
Reviews
In this gripping tale, a close band of women are scattered by a ruthless occupation, each finding her own path through resilience, cunning, and taking high-risk chances. Through imprisonment, forced labor, torture, sickness, and starvation, the women have to use their wits and daring to survive. A riveting, fast-paced read. * Jennifer Ryan, bestselling author of The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir and The Underground Library *
Author Information
Emma Pei Yin is a UK-born and raised Hong Kong Chinese writer. She writes for publications including Mekong Review, Being Asian Australian, HerCanberra, Aniko Press, Hong Kong Review and Books + Publishing. Her YA manuscript, Chasing Echoes in the Rain, earned recognition when it was shortlisted for the Allen & Unwin Mentorship Programme. She was also nominated as BookPeople Penguin Random House Young Bookseller of 2023. She resides in Australia with her partner and an extremely barky Dachshund, Lady. When Sleeping Women Wake is her first novel.
