C. Pam Zhang’s impressive debut re-imagines the American West in an epic novel about family and the search for both a home and a fortune.

Chinese immigration to the US during the California Gold Rush is the backdrop to this gripping adventure. In a re-imagined American West, Lucy and Sam, two destitute children of Chinese descent, are newly orphaned siblings. With their father’s body on their backs, they roam an unforgiving landscape dotted with buffalo bones and tiger paw prints, searching for a place to give him a proper burial. The siblings must battle with their own memories, the illusion of the American Dream and each other.

Longlisted
The 2020 Booker Prize
Published by
Virago
Publication date
C Pam Zhang

C. Pam Zhang

About the Author

Born in Beijing but mostly an artefact of the United States, C. Pam Zhang has lived in 13 cities and is still looking for home.
More about C. Pam Zhang