Season of the Stranger

Three civilians fight to survive China’s communist revolution in the suspenseful debut novel from the acclaimed author of The Chinese Bandit China, 1948. As the Red Army marches south from Manchuria, the rest of the country awaits the defeat of the Nationalist regime with a paralyzing mixture of hope and fear.   Andrew Girard, an American professor at a Chinese university, believes that the future holds the promise of a fairer, more peaceful China. His mistress, Li-ling, shares his optimism but is caught between the love she feels for her former teacher and the loyalty she owes her father, a powerful and corrupt profiteer. Wen-li, Girard’s pragmatic young servant, knows that in the violent chaos of revolution, the brave and idealistic often pay the highest price.   Told from the shifting points of view of its three main characters, The Season of the Stranger masterfully evokes the tense atmosphere of a nation on the cusp of profound change. Based on author Stephen Becker’s experiences as a teacher and student in pre-Communist China and published when he was just twenty-four years old, this unforgettable story of love, violence, courage, and tragedy, brings an exotic lost world to thrilling life.