December 1937. The Japanese have taken Nanking. A group of terrified schoolgirls hides in the compound of an American church. Among them is Shujuan, through whose thirteen-year-old eyes we witness the shocking events that follow.

Run by Father Engelmann, an American priest who has been in China for many years, the church is supposedly neutral ground in the war between China and Japan. But it becomes clear the Japanese are not obeying international rules of engagement. As they pour through the streets of Nanking, raping and pillaging the civilian population, the girls are in increasing danger. And their safety is further compromised when prostitutes from the nearby brothel climb over the wall into the compound seeking refuge.

Short, powerful, vivid, this beautiful novel transports the reader to 1930s China. Full of wonderful characters, from the austere priest to the irreverent prostitutes, it is a story about how war upsets all prejudices and how love can flourish amidst death.

Geling Yan is an award-winning Chinese novelist and screenwriter. Born in Shanghai, she served with the People's Liberation Army during the Cultural Revolution, starting aged 12 as a dancer in an entertainment troupe. She published her first novel in 1985. Since then she has written numerous short stories, essays, scripts and novels including, in English, The Uninvited (published as The Banquet Bug in the US) and The Lost Daughter of Happiness. A collection of her short fiction originally written in Chinese was published in English as White Snake and Other Stories. Geling Yan's works have been translated into over a dozen languages, and several have been adapted for the screen, the latest being The Flowers of War. The film of this book, made by acclaimed Chinese director Zhang Yimou (Raise the Red Lantern, House of Flying Dangers) stars Christian Bale and is China's entry for the 2011 Academy Awards. Geling Yan holds a Master's in Fine Arts in Creative Writing from Columbia College Chicago. She currently divides her time between China and Berlin.