A New York Times Editors' Choice and Notable Book of 2021
Best Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror of 2021*--The
Washington Post*****
From one of the most exciting voices in contemporary Chinese
literature, an uncanny and playful novel that blurs the line between
human and beast...
In the fictional Chinese city of Yong'an, an amateur cryptozoologist is
commissioned to uncover the stories of its fabled beasts. These
creatures live alongside humans in near-inconspicuousness--save their
greenish skin, serrated earlobes, and strange birthmarks.
Aided by her elusive former professor and his enigmatic assistant, our
narrator sets off to document each beast, and is slowly drawn deeper
into a mystery that threatens her very sense of self.
Part detective story, part metaphysical enquiry, Strange Beasts of
China engages existential questions of identity, humanity, love and
morality with whimsy and stylistic verve.