Night Train
Report an issue
Tell us what's wrong and we'll take a look.
Thanks – we got it. We'll review and follow up if needed.
Looking to take a vacation before settling in for to his PHD studies and hoping to swindle a little traveling money from his father, Chen Munian made up a story about killing someone and needing to flee. But now that lie has taken on a life of its own and everyone—the university, the police, the sprawling campus community—is convinced he’s murderer.
Munian is barely holding on: his wages are meager, he lives with a group of chaotic roommates, he drinks too much with his crazy artist neighbor who is obsessed with Van Gogh, and his bumbling attempts to woo the beautiful Qin Ke always end in heartache. His life keeps spiraling out of his control, and he can’t help but wonder if he was destined to be a murderer all along.
Xu Zechen’s Night Train, in Jeremy Tiang’s brash translation, follows characters who live on the precipice, where the foolish mistakes of young men can have devastating consequences.
Zechen Xu
Xu Zechen is considered one of the best of China's writers born in the 1970s. Author of the novels Running Through Beijing, Midnight's Door, Night Train, and Heaven on Earth, he was selected by People's Literature as one of the "Future 20" best Chinese writers under 41. The recipient of numerous awards and honors including the sixth Lu Xun Literature Award for short stories, he was born in Jiangsu and now lives in Beijing.
More by Zechen Xu
Why Readwise Books?
Readwise Books is an ebook & audiobook platform that automatically logs how much you and your friends read, making it fun and easy to read more. Learn more →