When Sleeping Women Wake: A Novel
Jun 2025 · Sold by Ballantine Books
star
1 review
Ebook
336
Pages
Tools
info
family_home
Eligible
info
About this ebook
In this remarkable and harrowing debut novel, three extraordinary women—a mother, her daughter, and their maid—are each forced on a journey of survival during the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong in World War II.
WINNER OF THE AUSTRALIAN INDIE BOOK AWARDS • LONGLISTED FOR THE ARA HISTORICAL NOVEL PRIZE READERS CHOICE AWARD
“A lushly romantic and impassioned story of women’s agency and resilience.”—Juhea Kim, internationally bestselling author of Beasts of a Little Land and City of Night Birds
1941. Following the Japanese invasion of Shanghai, the wealthy Tang family has settled in Hong Kong, believing it to be protected under British occupation. As the First Wife of the family, Mingzhu leads a glamorous, if at times lonely, existence—mothering the son of her husband’s concubine, overseeing her daughter Qiang’s education, and directing their household of servants, including her long-time confidante, Biyu.
But when the Japanese invade Hong Kong, the paths of Mingzhu, Qiang, and Biyu wildly diverge. Although Mingzhu’s affinity for languages spares her from physical labor, she finds herself coerced to either work for the enemy or face certain death. Qiang and Biyu scrape through days of factory work and meager food supplies, constantly on the run from newly unfolding dangers until an encounter with the East River Column resistance fighters separates them. The longer these women become embroiled in the brutal occupation that engulfs the region, the more determined they are to fight back—but can they support the resistance and still find their way back to one another?
At once monumental and intimate, When Sleeping Women Wake powerfully explores how ordinary people are capable of extraordinary things, and the unwavering hope that love can carry us through even the darkest of times.
WINNER OF THE AUSTRALIAN INDIE BOOK AWARDS • LONGLISTED FOR THE ARA HISTORICAL NOVEL PRIZE READERS CHOICE AWARD
“A lushly romantic and impassioned story of women’s agency and resilience.”—Juhea Kim, internationally bestselling author of Beasts of a Little Land and City of Night Birds
1941. Following the Japanese invasion of Shanghai, the wealthy Tang family has settled in Hong Kong, believing it to be protected under British occupation. As the First Wife of the family, Mingzhu leads a glamorous, if at times lonely, existence—mothering the son of her husband’s concubine, overseeing her daughter Qiang’s education, and directing their household of servants, including her long-time confidante, Biyu.
But when the Japanese invade Hong Kong, the paths of Mingzhu, Qiang, and Biyu wildly diverge. Although Mingzhu’s affinity for languages spares her from physical labor, she finds herself coerced to either work for the enemy or face certain death. Qiang and Biyu scrape through days of factory work and meager food supplies, constantly on the run from newly unfolding dangers until an encounter with the East River Column resistance fighters separates them. The longer these women become embroiled in the brutal occupation that engulfs the region, the more determined they are to fight back—but can they support the resistance and still find their way back to one another?
At once monumental and intimate, When Sleeping Women Wake powerfully explores how ordinary people are capable of extraordinary things, and the unwavering hope that love can carry us through even the darkest of times.
In this remarkable and harrowing debut novel, three extraordinary women—a mother, her daughter, and their maid—are each forced on a journey of survival during the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong in World War II.
WINNER OF THE AUSTRALIAN INDIE BOOK AWARDS • LONGLISTED FOR THE ARA HISTORICAL NOVE...
Discover more
Ratings and reviews
1 review
About the author
Emma Pei Yin is a UK-born and raised Hong Kong Chinese writer. She writes for publications including Mekong Review, Being Asian Australian, HerCanberra, Aniko Press, Hong Kong Review, and Books + Publishing Australia. She resides in Australia with her partner and their extremely barky Dachshund, Lady. When Sleeping Women Wake is her first novel.
Emma Pei Yin is a UK-born and raised Hong Kong Chinese writer. She writes for publications including Mekong Review, Being Asian Australian, HerCanberra, Aniko Press, Hong Kong Review, and Books + Publishing Australia. She resides in Australia with her partner and their extremely barky Dachshund, ...
Rate this ebook
Tell us what you think.
Reading information
Smartphones and tablets
Install the Google Play Books app for Android and iPad/iPhone. It syncs automatically with your account and allows you to read online or offline wherever you are.
Laptops and computers
You can listen to audiobooks purchased on Google Play using your computer's web browser.
eReaders and other devices
To read on e-ink devices like Kobo eReaders, you'll need to download a file and transfer it to your device. Follow the detailed Help Center instructions to transfer the files to supported eReaders.
