I was intrigued by the premise of this one, knowing that it was about the battle between Mandarin and Cantonese in the professional environment, in this case schools. But it’s also marketed as a thriller and a thriller this is not. Yes there’s one gruesome bit, but other than that it’s a narrative driven by societal pressures and toxic workplace environments. No hint of a thriller. If you go into it without those expectations you’ll have a much better time.

The translator’s insights were fascinating as there’s so much going on in this novel linguistically. It’s also a slightly terrifying portrayal of life as a teacher - my partner is a teacher and I see how much she works, but apparently it could be even worse if she taught in Hong Kong!

I think it could have been a bit shorter and made more of an impact. I didn’t feel compelled to read large chunks of it in one go, and it didn’t call out to me when I put it down. But still glad I read it!