Set over a twelve month period, Z leaves her homeland of China to ‘find herself’ in London, armed only with her Chinese-English Dictionary. An unpredictable story, simply because with each page turned, I had no idea what Z was going to do next, and, quite worryingly, she is so naive and trusting of strangers. At times, the novel is difficult to read because of the stilted English but you soon get to grips with the voice. In the end, a very nice read and worthy of its status on the Orange shortlist.
