Four Treasures of the Sky

"Engrossing...Epic...The resonance and immediacy of these barbarous 19th-century events are testament to Zhang's storytelling powers, and should stand as a warning to all of us." —Jennifer Egan, The New York Times Book Review
"Engulfing, bighearted, and heartbreaking." —Ann Patchett

A propulsive and dazzling debut novel set against the backdrop of the Chinese Exclusion Act, about a Chinese girl fighting to claim her place in the 1880s American West
Daiyu never wanted to be like the tragic heroine for whom she was named, revered for her beauty and cursed with heartbreak. But when she is kidnapped and smuggled across an ocean from China to America, Daiyu must relinquish the home and future she imagined for herself. Over the years that follow, she is forced to keep reinventing herself to survive. From a calligraphy school, to a San Francisco brothel, to a shop tucked into the Idaho mountains, we follow Daiyu on a desperate quest...