The Lost and Forgotten Languages of Shanghai

“One part medical mystery, one part love story . . . an engrossing novel that will enchant you from beginning to end.” —David Ebershoff, New York Times–bestselling author of The 19th Wife and The Danish Girl

Li Jing, a successful, happily married businessman, is dining at a grand hotel in Shanghai when a gas explosion shatters the building. A shard of glass neatly pierces Li Jing's forehead—obliterating his ability to speak Chinese. The only words that emerge from his mouth are faltering phrases of the English he spoke as a child growing up in Virginia. Suddenly Li Jing finds himself unable to communicate with his wife, Meiling, whom he once courted with beautiful words, as she struggles to keep his business afloat and maintain a brave face for their son. The family turns to an American neurologist, Rosalyn Neal, who is as lost as Li Jing in this bewitching, bewildering city, where the two form a bond that Meiling does not need a translator to understand.

“A novel that burns with the heat of clashing cultures and love transformed. Ruiyan Xu is a wonderful writer with a perfect ear for both the words and the silences that define us.” —Peter Manseau, Author of Songs for the Butcher's Daughter

“Xu’s elegant first novel affectingly addresses the way identity and language intertwine and the emotional anguish of estrangement.” —Booklist

“A gem of a debut.” —Da Chen, author of the New York Times–bestselling Colors of the Mountain

“Richly nuanced and compelling.” —Gail Tsukiyama, author of The Samurai's Garden

“A novel which makes us think beyond our boundaries, that opens up a fresh understanding of our relationship with language.” —Clare Morrall, author of Astonishing Splashes of Colour