The Immortal Woman - by Su Chang (Paperback)

About the Book

A sweeping generational story of heartbreak, resilience, and yearning, revealing an insider's view of the fractured lives of Chinese immigrants and those they leave behind.  Lemei, once a student Red Guard leader in 1960s Shanghai and a journalist at a state newspaper, was involved in a brutal act of violence during the Tiananmen Square protests and lost all hope for her country. Her daughter, Lin, is a student at an American university on a mission to become a true Westerner. She tirelessly erases her birth identity, abandons her Chinese suitor, and pursues a white lover, all the while haunted by the scars of her upbringing. Following China's meteoric rise, Lemei is slowly dragged into a nationalistic perspective that stuns Lin. Their final confrontation results in tragic consequences, but ultimately, offers hope for a better future. By turns wry and lyrical, The Immortal Woman reminds us to hold tight to our humanity at any cost.

Book Synopsis

Longlisted, 2025 Toronto Book Awards

A sweeping generational story of heartbreak, resilience, and yearning, revealing an insider's view of the fractured lives of Chinese immigrants and those they leave behind.

Lemei, once a student Red Guard leader in 1960s Shanghai and a journalist at a state newspaper, was involved in a brutal act of violence during the Tiananmen Square protests and lost all hope for her country. Her daughter, Lin, is a student at an American university on a mission to become a true Westerner. She tirelessly erases her birth identity, abandons her Chinese suitor, and pursues a white lover, all the while haunted by the scars of her upbringing. Following China's meteoric rise, Lemei is slowly dragged into a nationalistic perspective that stuns Lin. Their final confrontation results in tragic consequences, but ultimately, offers hope for a better future. By turns wry and lyrical, The Immortal Woman reminds us to hold tight to our humanity at any cost.

Review Quotes

"Dreamy, quietly stunning prose. [Su Chang] has an innate ability to weave together sharp political commentary with deeply human emotions ... [The Immortal Woman is a] masterpiece." -- The /tƐmz/ Review

"An urgent debut that deserves to be read and reread." - The Ampersand Review

"The Immortal Woman ... skilfully shows how the immigrant's dream of leaving their former life behind proves unattainable." -- Winnipeg Free Press

"An inviting, intimate look at ordinary people living through times of momentous change." - Kirkus

"A great read, with delicate and engaging prose, well-researched, and mesmerizing in its depictions of the tragic and difficult choices the characters make throughout." --The Seaboard Review

"Chang's writing is extremely lyrical ... Compelling." -- The Miramichi Reader

"This insightful and satisfying novel offers nuanced looks into the lives of contemporary Chinese families." -- Booklist

"The Immortal Woman is a promising debut with some unforgettable passages. " -- Washington Independent Review of Books

"Su Chang paints a complex picture of intergenerational trauma and the meaning of home." -- Quebec Library Association

"Chang's writing is powered by raw emotion ... [The Immortal Woman is] a cathartic account of a family buffeted by the winds of modern Chinese history." -- Publishers Weekly

"Defying limits with triumph and aplomb ... Chang's lyrical, spinning and dizzying prose creates a vivid sense of the ever-shifting ground beneath her characters' feet." -- 49th Shelf