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Content snapshot
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Violence
A lot
Tiananmen Square massacre and Cultural Revolution violence depicted with historical weight; significant historical trauma
Language
Barely any
Mild language in Thien's literary register
Sexual Content
Barely any
Minimal sexual content
Substance Use
Barely any
Some drinking
Emotional Intensity
A lot
The psychological weight of historical trauma across generations — and music as the medium through which it is both expressed and survived — creates the novel's most profound and moving dimensions
What this book is about
Madeleine Thien's Booker Prize-shortlisted novel weaves together the stories of two families across generations — from the Chinese Civil War through the Cultural Revolution to Tiananmen Square and the present day — through their connection to music and to one extraordinary piece of composition. Thien writes with extraordinary literary ambition; the historical violence is depicted with weight and the novel's musical and philosophical dimensions are profound. For adult readers of literary historical fiction.
Notes for sensitive readers
Reader-flagged moments and themes that may affect your experience.
Historical violence including Tiananmen Square
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