Funeral Cryer by Wenyan Lu

Debut novelist Wenyan Lu brings us this witty yet profound story about one woman's mid-life reawakening in contemporary rural China, for fans of Yiyun Li and Julie Otsuka.

The Funeral Cryer long ago accepted the mundane realities of her life: avoided by fellow villagers because of the stigma attached to her job and under-appreciated by her husband, whose fecklessness has pushed the couple close to the brink of break-up. But just when things couldn't be bleaker, she takes a leap of faith-and in so doing things start to take a surprising turn for the better.

Dark, moving and wry, The Funeral Cryer is both an illuminating depiction of a "left behind" society-and proof that it's never too late to change your life.