Life in seventh-century China teems withmagic, fox spirits, and demons; there is a fervent belief that theextraordinary resides within the lives of both commoners and royalty. Duringthe years when the empress Wu Zhao gains ascendancy in the Tang court, herevil-minded lover Xie becomes obsessed with finding and possessing the oraclebone, a magical object that will bestow immortal powers on him. Standing in hisway is Qilan, an eccentric Daoist nun who rescues an orphaned girl named Lingfrom being sold into slavery; Qilan takes her under her wing, promising totrain her so she may avenge her parents' murders. In another part of the city, ayoung monk named Harelip questions his faith and his attraction to other men ashe helps the elder monk Xuanzang to complete his translation of the Heart Sutra, the sacred Buddhistscripture. Meanwhile, as the mysteries and powers of the missing oracle boneare revealed, it remains to be seen whether Qilan will be able to stop Xie fromgaining possession of the magical bone, and at what cost.

 This extraordinary magic-realistnovel by Singapore-born author Lydia Kwa employs and subverts traditionaltropes of Chinese mythology to tell a tale of greed, faith, and femaleempowerment with a wickedly modern sensibility.