The internationally acclaimed author of Raise the Red Lantern returns with a dysfunctional vision of romantic obsession linked to Chinese fables, where the unwitting predator finds itself as the prey.

Prey, Predator, Predator, Prey.

On this street, the hunters are also the hunted.

The people of China tell of an ancient tale, where the mantis hunts the cicada, unaware of the yellow bird behind him. In a small corner of her many cities, a random act of violence sets off a spinning top, entwining the lives of three people.

Baorun, the compulsive bondage expert, is forever aided and abetted by Liu Sheng, a brash troublemaker, to indulge in his obsessions; and the lady Fairy Princess, ever youthful, becomes the target of the pair’s escalating antics.

As the years pass, many things begin to change, but in the dysfunctional world of a mental hospital at the end of Red Toon Street, just who is prey, and who is predator?

About the Author

Su Tong, pen name of Tong Zhonggui, was born in Suzhou, East China in 1963. He rose to international acclaim after his book Wives and Concubines was made into a blockbuster film Raise the Red Lantern by director Zhang Yimou, featuring actress Gong Li. The film won a BAFTA award in 1993 for best non-english language film. He was the joint winner of the prestigious Mao Dun Literature Prize for his novel Yellow Bird in 2015. His earlier novel The Boat to Redemption was awarded the Man Asia Literature Prize in 2009. Su Tong is a prolific and unconventional writer whose work explores the darker side of human nature. Having grown up in the Cultural Revolution,

Su Tong’s novels and short stories depict everyday life in 20th century China with a dark twist. In addition to his many striking novels, he has also written hundreds of short stories, many of which have been translated into French and English. He currently lives in Nanjing.