Wu Ming-Yi’s novel about bicycles, elephants and war - which is also a startlingly intimate meditation on memory, family and home. Translated by Darryl Sterk.

A search for his missing father’s stolen bicycle takes author Cheng on an epic quest deep into the secret world of antique bicycle collectors. On the journey, he finds himself caught up in the strangely intertwined stories of Lin Wang, the oldest elephant who ever lived, the soldiers who fought in the jungles of South-East Asia during World War Two and the secret worlds of the butterfly handicraft makers.

Longlisted
The Man Booker International Prize 2018
Published by
Text Publishing
Publication date
Wu Ming-Yi

Wu Ming-Yi

About the Author

One of Taiwan's most innovative young novelists, Wu Ming-Yi was born in Taipei, Taiwan, in June 1971. He has won the China Times Open Book Award six times.
More about Wu Ming-Yi
Darryl Sterk

Darryl Sterk

About the Translator

Darryl Sterk was born in Edmonton, Canada, in March 1973.


More about Darryl Sterk