Love in the New Millennium

November 1, 2018
In this ambitious new novel by Chinese avant-garde writer Can Xue?prolific author of stories, novellas, and novels, including the Best Translated Book Award winner, The Last Lover (2014)?Cuilan and Wei Bo begin a temperamental affair after accidentally bumping into each other at a hot spring spa that offers sex as one of its services. Wei recalls his other lovers, both present and past, but he especially can't forget A Si, a prostitute who escaped the drudges of the cotton mill. A Si finds freedom in prostitution and finds men willing to provide for her, but she cannot stop herself from falling in love with her clients. In these masterful modern love stories, Can Xue's fully developed main characters and their supporting cast struggle to survive in an industry that normalizes fraud and exploitation. Some attempt to escape the city and embark on transcendent delusions, while others partake in sex and romance to find happiness. Xue's superb experimental novel is sure to keep readers hooked.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)