This powerful novel by Mo Yan one of contemporary China s most famous and prolific writers is both a stirring love story and an unsparing critique of political corruption during the final years of the Qing Dynasty, China s last imperial epoch.

"Sandalwood Death" is set during the Boxer Rebellion (1898 1901) an anti-imperialist struggle waged by North China s farmers and craftsmen in opposition to Western influence. Against a broad historical canvas, the novel centers on the interplay between its female protagonist, Sun Meiniang, and the three paternal figures in her life. One of these...