City of Fiction 🌃

By Yu Hua.

Set against the backdrop of early 20th-century China, a nation in the throes of transformation, City of Fiction is a sweeping tale of love, blood, and dreams.

Yu Hua masterfully brings to life a world where the old ways are fading, and modernity looms on the horizon.

At the heart of the book is a quiet man from the North, making his way to a Southern city during a fierce snowstorm. He carries with him a newborn baby and a purpose—to find the child’s mother and a city that may not even exist. His journey unfolds into an extraordinary story of fate and resilience.

Yu Hua weaves together the destinies of two unforgettable characters: a man who finds unexpected success after arriving in the hometown of the woman who once abandoned him, and the woman herself, who has set off on a journey of her own, vanishing into a world of uncertainty.

Through their stories, City of Fiction explores the vanishing traditions of China, the weight of the past, and the unpredictability of the future.

Rich in historical detail and layered with intrigue, this is a book about love and loss, friendship and betrayal, and the power of storytelling itself. With vivid characters and unexpected twists, City of Fiction is as gripping as a classic adventure and as relentless as time itself.

A must-read for fans of historical fiction, Yu Hua’s latest work is both an epic and an intimate portrait of a world in flux—one that lingers long after the final page.

Thank you to Daniela and the team at Europa Editions UK for sending me a proof copy! The book is out now and available to purchase.

Buy the book here.

Buy the Kindle book here.