Women, Seated

A riveting story of a powerful Chinese family’s fall from grace

Enter the world of an elite Chinese couple: a life of luxury, wealth, and around-the-clock service, which includes their trusted nanny, Yu Ling. Slipping in and out of the shadows, meticulous in her care of their only son, she has served the family for years and knows their secrets. But little do they suspect that Yu Ling has secrets of her own.

In the pressure-cooker political environment of China, the fates of even the most powerful families can reverse overnight. When the family becomes the subject of a government investigation, their fortunes crumble, and the nanny is left to make a series of life-changing choices. How far will she go to claim her due?

Taut and enthralling, Women, Seated is a high-stakes story of power and privilege, crimes and secrets, and the elusive pursuit of personal freedom.

Zhang Yueran (张悦然) is ne of the China's most influential young writers. She was born in 1982 the city of Jinan, Shandong Province. She began writing at the age of 14, and as a high school student, won first prize in the nationwide New Concept Composition Competition. After studying English and law at Shandong University, she completed a graduate degree in computer science at National University of Singapore. Zhang Yueran is regarded as one of China's most influential young writers.

Jeremy Tiang (程异)(he/ they) is a novelist, playwright and literary translator. He has translated over thirty books from across the Chinese-speaking world, including novels by Yeng Pway Ngon, Yan Ge, Lo Yi-Chin, Liu Xinwu and Zhang Yueran. Most recently, his translation of Zou Jingzhi’s Ninth Building was longlisted for the International Booker Prize 2023. His plays include Salesman之死 (Obie Award for Outstanding New Play) and A Dream of Red Pavilions, and translations of plays by Chen Si’an and Wei Yu-Chia. His novel State of Emergency won the Singapore Literature Prize in 2018, and his short story collection It Never Rains on National Day was shortlisted for the same prize. He is the co-editor with Dr. Kavita Bhanot of Violent Phenomena: 21 Essays on Translation. In 2022, Tiang was the Princeton University Translator-in-Residence and an International Booker Prize judge. He has also served as a judge for the National Book Award (Translated Literature). Originally from Singapore, he now lives in Flushing, Queens.

《天鹅旅馆》是张悦然全新长篇小说。一次精心筹划的春游，背后却藏着一个蓄谋已久的阴谋。当一切水落石出，身处其中的人该作何抉择？作者将现实的残忍与童话般的纯真放置于同一空间中，阶层的困境和人心的冲突在底部暗流汹涌。面对男孩的信任与依赖、男友的诱惑和鼓动，保姆于玲将如何选择？往日生活突然崩塌，她将如何重建自己的生活？张悦然以优雅又凌厉的笔触，书写于玲与女主人秦文之间爱恨交织的友谊、彼此救赎与艰难成长，撕开种种幻觉制造的假象，深切呈现当代不同身份的女性所面临的诱惑、困境与突围。