The Tree on the Roof

First comes a generation, then style, as categories of fiction writers in China commonly dictate. But for those born in the 1970's, sandwiched between decades of turbulence and decadence, Cao Kou's piercing realism is tinged with hints of nostalgia. His work has been called “a bucket of disinfectant” on the Chinese literary world. In the third short story collection by Cao, each piece peers into the gritty lives of urban residents.