(#gifted @viragopress) One that I’m sure you’ll see popping up across bookstagram (or already have!) - and for good reason - C Pam Zhang’s debut novel is as much a love letter to language as it is an exploration of immigration and identity just after the Gold Rush in America.

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Two things struck me the most about this novel: the evocative imagery of the beautiful but desolate landscape, and Sam. I don’t want to say too much about Sam as they’re a character best left discovered for yourself, but I loved Zhang’s portrayal of a character questioning their own identity, especially in a nineteenth century society that was so rigid.

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The story of orphans Lucy and Sam is told in sections which jump back and forth through time, from them struggling to bury their father back to their lives as younger children battling the prejudices that came with being of Chinese descent, back again to their parents’ meeting and then forward to where and how they’ve settled. I was enthralled by every section, each storyline as compelling as the last.

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Although I do highly recommend this one, I don’t recommend you read it right now if you’re currently struggling with the dreaded lockdown reading slump. Zhang’s prose is verging on poetry at times, and it actually took me about 50 pages to fully get into the swing of it. There are a lot of sentences lacking a verb, thoughtfully constructed, and while you might think that would lead to static prose, Zhang pairs it with short section breaks and chapters. I’ve never read anything like it, it felt very fresh!

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This one is out this week (Thursday) in the UK with @viragopress! I think we can all agree that now is not an ideal time to be a debut author, so if this sounds like your cup of tea then definitely get your orders in if you can!