The Sisters Mao

Gavin McCrea

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English

Scribe Publications
01 February 2022

Fiction & Literature; Modern & contemporary fiction (post c 1945); Sagas; Historical fiction

Against the backdrop of China's Cultural Revolution and Europe's sexual revolution, the fates of two families in London and Beijing become unexpectedly intertwined, in this dazzling new novel from the author of Mrs Engels.

Revolution is a Family Affair.

In London, sisters Iris and Eva, members of a radical performance collective, plan an attack on the West End theatre where their mother is playing the title role in Miss Julie. Meanwhile in Beijing, Jiang Qing, Chairman Mao's wife, rehearses a gala performance of her model ballet, The Red Detachment of Women, which she will use in order to attack her enemies in the Party.

As the preparations for these two astonishing performances unfold, Iris, Eva, and Jiang Qing are transformed into unforgettable protagonists in a single epic drama. The three 'sisters', although fighting very different personal battles, find themselves bound together by the passions of love, by the obsessions of power, and by the forces of history.

Exquisitely observed, relevant, and wise, The Sisters Mao shows us that the political is always personal.

'Written with McCrea's trademark confidence and virtuosity, this is a sumptuous, winning book. Its characters are not so much drawn from life (Imelda Marcos makes an entrance) as strange revenants from a turbulent dream. Its high intelligence throws light everywhere, and suggestive shade.' -Sebastian Barry, author of A Thousand Moons

'The tremors of Gavin McCrea's prose thrillingly record what happens as a world spins off its axis, shattering public and private lives. This electrifying fiction confirms McCrea's status among the leading novelists of his brilliant generation.' -Frank McGuinness, author of Someone Who'll Watch Over Me

'A sweeping political saga spanning East and West. McCrea's confident and lucid prose gives us both the personal and the political. Mesmerising.' -Xiaolu Guo, author of A Lover's Discourse

By: Gavin McCrea
Imprint: Scribe Publications
Country of Publication: Australia
Dimensions: Height: 235mm, Width: 156mm, Spine: 40mm
Weight: 740g
ISBN: 9781925713572
ISBN 10: 1925713571
Pages: 560
Publication Date: 01 February 2022
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Gavin McCrea was born in Dublin in 1978. His first novel, Mrs Engels (Scribe, 2015), was shortlisted for the Desmond Elliott Prize and the Walter Scott Prize, and longlisted for the Guardian First Book Award. Gavin's articles have appeared in The Paris Review, The Guardian, The Irish Times, Catapult, and LitHub.