"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
Gendun, the senior lama at the monastery that has given Shan sanctuary, announces to his student: "You are needed in the north. A woman named Lau has been killed. A teacher. And a lama is missing." Though reluctant to leave the gentle presence of the monks who are balm to his crippled soul, Shan realises he has no choice.
It turns out that Lau had taken upon herself the care of the zheli, a group of orphaned children from all corners of Xianjiang, and strove to help the children retain a sense of native identity in the face of the Poverty Eradication Scheme, which is Beijing-speak for the destruction of the herding clans and the transformation of the western steppes into a region of exploitable resources. Shan wonders whether officials from the People's Brigade (perhaps the "Jade Bitch", Prosecutor Xu Li), or the feared secret police "knobs" from Public Security decided to put a stop to her subversive activities. But when the children from the zheli begin dying amid horrific tales of the "demon" that came for them, bleak politics must grapple with darker imaginings.
The novel sports a practically Dickensian cast of characters, which might overwhelm the narrative by sheer numbers, yet Pattison manages to add depth to even the most minor of characters, and at the moments when the troupe threatens to become completely unwieldy, he deftly redeems the situation with moments of quiet poetry. --Kelly Flynn
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
Shipping:
£ 4.41
Within U.S.A.
Book Description Mass Market Paperback. Condition: New. In shrink wrap. Seller Inventory # 90-11060
Book Description Paperback. Condition: new. New. Seller Inventory # Wizard0312982178
Book Description Paperback. Condition: new. New Copy. Customer Service Guaranteed. Seller Inventory # think0312982178
Book Description Condition: new. Seller Inventory # FrontCover0312982178
Book Description Paperback. Condition: new. New. Fast Shipping and good customer service. Seller Inventory # Holz_New_0312982178
Book Description Condition: New. New. In shrink wrap. Looks like an interesting title! 0.57. Seller Inventory # Q-0312982178