A Thousand Years of Good Prayers

A debut collection of short fiction by a Chinese-American author focuses on the role of fate in the lives of characters living both in China and in the United States, in such works as "Immortality," about a young man who finds a calling because of his resemblance to the dictator, and "Extra" in which a middle-aged woman befriends a young boy who has become an outcast in his rural school. Reader's Guide included. Reprint. 25,000 first printing.