Pět Číňanů oběšených v Idahu – Zhangová Jenny Tinghui (2022)

A remarkable historical novel tells the gripping drama of a young Chinese woman, Taj-yü, set against the backdrop of the American West in the 1880s. Taj-yü never wanted to resemble the tragic heroine after whom she was named, admired for her beauty and cursed by unfortunate love. Kidnapped at thirteen at a fish market and smuggled from China to America, she must give up her home and the future she envisioned for herself. We follow her fateful twists from a calligraphy school to a San Francisco brothel and finally to a shop tucked away in the mountains of Idaho. Taj-yü constantly strives to adapt to her new environment and escape the curse of her name. When she finally feels safe, an anti-Chinese wave of terrible violence strikes her town as well. And Taj-yü must turn to everything she once was – including what she most wanted to leave behind – to finally claim her own name and story. The book brings interesting elements from Chinese folklore and a lesser-known chapter of American history that strikingly resembles recent racist and xenophobic sentiments in the United States.