When Sleeping Women Wake
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4.0 • 26 Ratings
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
WINNER OF THE 2026 INDIE BOOK AWARD FOR DEBUT FICTION
SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2026 ACT LITERARY AWARD FOR FICTION
LONGLISTED FOR THE 2026 ARA HISTORICAL NOVEL PRIZE
An epic and emotional story of three spirited women - a mother, her daughter, their maid - during the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong
1941. The wealthy Tang family has settled in Hong Kong after fleeing Shanghai. As the First Wife of the family, Mingzhu leads a glamorous but lonely existence - mothering the son of her husband's concubine, overseeing her daughter Qiang's education, and directing their household of servants, including her long-time confidante, Biyu.
When the Japanese invade the island, the three women's paths wildly diverge. Mingzhu's affinity for languages spares her physical labour but she's coerced into serving an enemy captain. Qiang and Biyu suffer brutal factory work and food rations until an encounter with the East River Column Resistance fighters separates them. As war rages around them, each woman holds onto the hope that the others are alive. Can they fight for their freedom and still find their way back to each other?
Fans of Lisa See, Kristin Hannah and Anthony Doerr, storytellers who blend historical accuracy with personal narrative, will love this book. Through years of impeccable research, Australian-Chinese novelist Emma Pei Yin breathes new life into real events. At once monumental and intimate, heartbreaking and hopeful, When Sleeping Women Wake is an exquisitely written novel about the unbreakable bonds that unite women.
'A heartbreaking, moving, and soaring novel. An important literary feat from an exciting new voice' NGUYEN PHAN QUE MAI, global bestselling author of The Mountains Sing and Dust Child
'Courage, strength and power bleed from every page, every chapter brims with tension and turmoil . . . A gripping piece of historical fiction to add to your bookshelf' ALLI PARKER, bestselling author of At the Foot of the Cherry Tree
'Yin's poignant novel celebrates the enduring love that can unite women' WEST AUSTRALIAN
'A breathtaking, important story of family, love and endurance told with unflinching clarity and beauty, this is historical fiction at its finest. I urge you to read this book.' WIZ WHARTON, author of Ghost Girl, Banana
'This beautifully complex, thoroughly researched novel is both a love story and an historical revelation . . . A story that cried out to be told, with its its compassion and its clear new eyes' LIVING ARTS CANBERRA
'Deeply empathetic . . . Written in atmospheric prose and propelled by an urgent narrative pulse, When Sleeping Women Wake is an immersive and compelling read' BOOKS+PUBLISHING
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In her memorable debut novel, Yin expertly weaves together the stories of three Chinese women seeking to survive the Japanese occupation during WWII. The Tang family flees Shanghai for Hong Kong in 1938. Among them are Wei, his concubine, his wife Mingzhu, her maid and lifelong companion Biyu, and Mingzhu's daughter, Qiang. Though Mingzhu lives in a wealthy household, Wei is prone to anger and physically abuses her. She finds solace in the love of books instilled in her by her scholarly father and in seeking stolen moments of happiness with her daughter's British tutor, Henry Beaumont. When the Japanese invade Hong Kong, Biyu and Qiang escape to the home of a family friend in the mountains and find work at a factory, while Mingzhu works as a personal secretary for a Japanese official. The three women each participate in resistance efforts: Qiang moves to a resistance camp and learns how to fight; Biyu puts hyacinth pollen in the clothing of Japanese soldiers, causing them to develop rashes and fall ill; and Mingzhu sends encrypted messages to the resistance. Yin expertly brings to life each character, highlighting their varied perspectives on how to survive the Japanese occupation and revealing their love for one another and hopes to reunite. This strikes a chord.
