An international literary phenomenon-now available for the first time in English translation-Candy is a hip, harrowing tale of risk and desire, the story of a young Chinese woman forging a life for herself in a world seemingly devoid of guidelines. Hong, who narrates the novel, and whose life in many ways parallels the author's own, drops out of high school and runs away at age 17 to the frontier city of Shenzen. As Hong navigates the temptations of the city, she quickly falls in love with a young musician and together they dive into a cruel netherworld of alcohol, drugs, and excess, a life that fails to satisfy Hong's craving for an authentic self, and for a love that will define her. This startling and subversive novel is a blast of sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll that opens up to us a modern China we've never seen before. - Banned in China-with Mian Mian labeled the 'poster child for spiritual pollution'-CANDY still managed to sell 60,000 copies, as well as countless additional copies in pirated editions. - CANDY has been published in eight countries to date and has become a bestseller in France.

For my NSS partner at the BCUK Uncon 2013, Leeds. Hope you enjoy the book!

How lucky am I: a second wishlist book in my NSS parcel. Many thanks again!

Hmm. I can not quite make up my mind about this book. Or about the fact that the hype on the front of the book reckons this is one of China's most promising young writers. It's not the first book of this type I've read, although it's been a few years since I read the others. I'm not sure if the other ones were better, or I've just grown out of wanting to read this sort of thing or what.

This is fiction, but I am wondering how much of it is actually based on the author's own life. It's about a Chinese girl in the 90s, when the country was starting to open up to the west, rock and roll music coming through, foreigners starting to move across to set up businesses, and the western decadant lifestyle of drugs and casual sex coming into youth culture. Because no one ever took drugs or had sex before then. (Yes, I am being flippant :) ). So Hong, our 'heroine' drops out of school when she's sixteen or seventeen because... as far as I recall because she can't be arsed. And this book follows her up to the age of about thirty. She does some odd jobbing as a nightclub singer, has a lot of sex, has a heroine addiction, goes into rehab a few times, drinks too much, tries to do herself in, neurotiscises about romantic love, needing to find the right man to make her whole and understand her - because her on/off boyfriend never perfectly fits the bill, hanging out with pimps and prostitutes. And after ten years or so it doesn't feel like she's gotten anywhere, because it's the same record of neurotic thoughts and hysteria, and she's still just dossing about living off her father's money. Not that I want to sound like anyone's disapproving parent - I'm neither a parent nor disapproving generally - but for god's sake. And what is the point of this - that the world is an empty place? She is a disaffected, numb youth that sees no point in life? This is what western culture does to you? If you're interested in China in the 90s, this might be worth a look, but for hedonistic youth culture of this variety I've read more engaging books than this one.

Taking to the January York bookcrossers' meet up.

Another East Asian based title cropped up. I must have it!