The Cry of the Silkworm

(Paperback, Export/Airside)

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Description

Growing up in 1990s China, in a village where failure to observe the rigidly enforced one-child policy is deemed tantamount to a crime, Chen Di must fight to get the education she craves in a world in which boys are prioritized.

Following her mother's untimely death, 16-year-old Chen Di's thirst for vengeance against those she holds responsible brings about her transformation from a gutsy, marginalized child into an aikido-practising young woman who braves Shanghai.

A startling illumination of the ripple effect of the authoritarian regime's policies still being felt today, this moving debut is perfect for readers of The Beekeeper of Aleppo and A Thousand Splendid Suns.

Reviews

An epic debut, full of ambition and personality. Shi Naseer has given us a heroine for the ages. Nikita Lalwani, author of You People

Gorgeously written, poignant, and propulsive, The Cry of the Silkworm could only have been written by a Chinese native who experienced first-hand the horrors of China's one-child policy. A gripping debut. I couldn't put it down. Nancy Crochiere, author of Graceland


A revelation - a hard plunge into a roiling China, a thriller and spiritual journey, a deeply felt story about the broken and the beautiful. These settings: they're rich, scented, spellbinding. A haunting debut from a remarkable new writer. Bill Beverly, author of Dodgers


A suspenseful debut, set in China during the one-child policy, about a powerful young woman making her way in a male-dominated world. Eve LaPlante, author of American Jezebel

Author Bio

Shi Naseer grew up in China under the one-child policy before immigrating to Australia as a teenager and subsequently earning a master's in mathematics from Cambridge University and PhD in black-hole physics from Harvard University. She currently divides her time between Connecticut and Pakistan, and lives with her husband and son.