Ghost Music

Following her acclaimed debut, Braised Pork, Chinese novelist Yu (who writes in English) presents readers with another surrealistic tale about a couple living in China. Here, Yu introduces Song Yan, a piano teacher in Beijing, and husband Bowen, a car sales executive, who recently move to a new home, inviting Bowen’s mother along to live with them following the passing of her husband. When a series of allegedly misdelivered packages begin arriving at their doorstep, containing unique mushrooms from her mother-in-law’s province of Yunnan, Song Yan beings a descent—like Alice journeying down the rabbit hole—to seek out the sender, Bai Yu. What follows are mysterious meetings with Bai Yu, a renowned pianist said to have gone missing a decade ago. In the end Bai Yu acts as muse to Song Yan, helping her confront issues in her life, marriage, and career.