Hachette India

The Magpie Bridge

Liu Hong

When Chinese student Jiao Mei is woken from her sleep in her Hampstead bedroom by what appears to be the ghost of her grandmother, she dismisses the encounter as a vivid dream. But when these night-time visitations persist, and she begins to experience cravings for spicy Chinese food, and morning sickness, she comes to accept that she is being haunted and that what the ghost is telling her - that she is pregnant by her Western boyfriend - is true. Tie Mei, her grandmother, fears for her reputation, and urges Jiao Mei to abandon her London life to return to China. But Tie Mei has other business in London, old scores to settle from her past, which will shock Jiao Mei into confronting the complex nature of her own cultural heritage, and unlock secrets which have haunted her family for generations.

Liu Hong

Liu Hong grew up in the North East of China, near the Chinese–North Korean border. She came to Britain in 1989. Since then she has worked here as a writer, teacher, and as a translator. Her writing career began with four novels published by Headline Review: Startling Moon (2002), The Magpie Bridge (2004), The Touch (2006), and Wives of the East Wind (2007). She is also the author of Nas Folhas do Chá, a children’s book co-written with Flávia Lins e Silva, published by Zahar (2012). She took a break from writing to raise children, chickens, and chives; she returns now with The Good Women of Fudi. She lives in Wiltshire.