I Am China

Rock 'n' roll, revolution, & romance are seductively woven together in this intense & moving novel from the author of Twenty Fragments of a Ravenous Youth 

In her flat in north London, Iona Kirkpatrick sets to work on a new project translating a collection of letters & diaries by a Chinese musician. 

“A harrowing glimpse into post-Tiananmen repression in China... A mix of dissident rhetoric & heartbreak that turns on one couple’s story.”  -  Kirkus Reviews

In a flat above a noisy north London market, translator Iona Kirkpatrick starts work on a Chinese letter. Two lovers, Mu & Jian, have been driven apart by forces beyond their control. As Iona unravels the story of the lovers, Jian & Mu seem to be travelling further & further away from each other. Iona, intoxicated by their romance, sets out to bring them back together, but time is running out.

"A complex & fascinating political narrative. The lives of Jian & Mu, haunted by the turbulent history of Chinese politics (in particular, the Tiananmen Square massacre of 1989), read like a eulogy for a lost vision of China."  -  The Observer (London)

“[Guo’s] dark, witty fiction examines the interface between east & west... This novel has bold, refreshing things to say about art & politics.”  -  Financial Times

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Xiaolu Guo is the author of Village of Stone, A Concise Chinese-English Dictionary for Lovers, Twenty Fragments of a Ravenous Youth, I Am China, A Lover’s Discourse, & Nine Continents. She has been named one of Granta’s Best of Young British Novelists. Guo has also directed several award-winning films including She, A Chinese & UFO in Her Eyes, & has had film retrospectives around the world. She lives in London & Berlin.