A story of adjustment, acceptance, and belonging emerges from the settings of Red China and contemporary Mapleton, Ontario. Lily, a young immigrant, is trying to make it on her own—and succeeding in her own way. Then her mother arrives—she’s come to “save” her daughter. Through Lily’s challenging relationship with her mother and with the vibrant and quirky Chinese community in Mapleton, we witness unexpected changes and challenges as she copes with her new environment and the transformation of her spirit and soul.

Lily in the Snow provides a unique perspective on the universal tale of intergenerational conflict and explores the Chinese immigrant experience in Canada with humour and insight.

Yan Li is the director of the Confucius Institute at the University of Waterloo and the coordinator of the Chinese Language Program at Renison University College, both of which are located in Ontario, Canada. Li’s other published works include her first novel written in English, ‘Daughters of the Red Land’ and her other novels – ‘Married to the West Wind’, ‘Red Duckweed’, and ‘The Lambs of Mapleton’ – all of which are written in Chinese.