"To the East of the East" by Ping Lu

Translated from Chinese into English by Jeremy Tiang. This book isn't out yet, but will be in November 2026. I received a digital ARC from the publisher (thank you!). This is an interesting novel that combines three storylines. One is about the protagonist travelling to Beijing. Her husband told her he was repositioned there for work, but she hasn't heard from him in a long time. Fearing that he's missing, she goes there to investigate. Along with that are a collection of letters, most of them written by the main character's husband. In between those there's a manuscript for a historical novel, parts of which the protagonist reads to another person. It's a book of opposites and overlaps, of things facing each other. Two partners in a relationship, China and Taiwan, past and present, what could have been and what is. There are many lenses to use to look at this novel with, many layers intertwining with each other. There's a balance of warmth and cynicism that I liked. Both the cover…