The Last Quarter of the Moon, by Chi Zijian, translated by Bruce Humes, Harvill Secker, RRP£14.99, 311 pages
The Last Quarter of the Moon is the first novel from award-winning Chinese novelist Chi Zijian to be translated into English. It is an atmospheric modern folk-tale, the saga of the Evenki clan of Inner Mongolia – nomadic reindeer herders whose traditional life alongside the Argun river endured unchanged for centuries, only to be driven almost to extinction during the political upheavals of the 20th century.
Their history is recounted by the 90-year-old, unnamed widow of one of the clan’s last great chieftains. Her ethereal presence and memory, and strength of will, allows her to speak for the tribe, breathing life into their collective memories.