A FINANCIAL TIMES BEST YA BOOK OF 2023

'Read this; you'll walk away changed.' Grace D. Li

Falling in love was never part of the plan.

SUMMER, 2019

When Phoenix attends a protest rally with her older brother, it ignites a fire in her she didn't know she had. The island city she loves is disappearing and she's determined to capture the moment with her camera.

Kai is training to be a policeman and thinks the protesters are spoilt and privileged. He hopes to earn recognition at the Academy by going undercover and infiltrating their network.

Phoenix and Kai accidentally swap phones at a student protest encounter. Sparks fly, drawing them together even as they stand on different sides of the struggle. But when love is built on a lie, what chance does it have to survive?

'I could not put it down and haven't stopped thinking about it since I finished. A must read.' Susan Lee, author of Seoulmates

'An honest and searing portrait of the Hong Kong protests.' Axie Oh, author of The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea

'A richly detailed and humane teen romance.' Suzi Feay

Love in the time of protests - a stunning coming of age novel set in Hong Kong.

About the Author

K. X. Song is a diaspora writer with roots in Hong Kong and Shanghai. Raised between cultures and languages, she enjoys telling stories that touch on collective memory, translation, and the shifting nature of memory and history. A Highlights Foundation Fellow and H.G. Wells Turnill Prize honoree, she has been awarded residencies at the Ragdale Foundation and the Anderson Center at Tower View. She is currently based in the San Francisco Ba Area, where she can often be found queueing for dim sum. An Echo in the City is her debut novel. You can visit her online at kxsong.com.

Reviews

'An Echo in the City vividly reminds us that though the machinery of politics turns as it will, no force is greater than human love and connection. This is a gorgeous, stirring book; a stellar debut.' Jeff Zentner, award-winning author of The Serpent King

'A heartstopping, nuanced, and important look at the cost-and the power-of revolution.' Kelly Loy Gilbert, author of Picture Us In the Light

'A riveting and meaningful coming-of-age story.' Kirkus Reviews

'A stunning and emotionally riveting story...This wholehearted debut will challenge you and stay with you for a long time.' Alexandra Villasante, Lambda Literary award-winning author of The Grief Keeper

'A sweeping, vivid window into a singularly intense moment in time... A gripping story that leaves you contemplating what it means to take a stand on the things that matter.' XiXi Tian, author of This Place is Still Beautiful

'A richly detailed and humane teen romance.' Financial Times, Best YA books of 2023

Book Information
ISBN 9780861547388
Author K. X. Song
Format Paperback
Page Count 352
Imprint Rock the Boat
Publisher Oneworld Publications
Dimensions(mm) 198mm * 129mm * 26mm