"In the mesmerizing debut novel Lotus, a young woman defies her fate and escapes to the city and all it holds for her--be it love, danger, or destiny Surviving by her wits alone, Lotus charges headlong into the neon lights of Shenzhen, determined to pull herself out of the gutter and decide her own fate. Shes different than the other streetwalkers--reserved, even defiant, Lotus holds her secrets behind her red smile. The new millennium should've brought her better luck, but for now she leads a double life, wiring the money home to her family and claiming she earns her wages waiting tables. Her striking eyes catch the attention of many, but Lotus weighs her options between becoming the concubine of a savvy migrant worker or a professional girlfriend to a rich and powerful playboy. Or she may choose the kind and decent Hu Binbing, a photojournalist reporting on China's underground sex trade--who has a hidden past of his own. She knows that fortunes can shift in the toss of a coin, and in the end, she may make a choice that leads her on a different journey entirely. Written with compassion and vivid prose, Lotus was inspired by the deathbed revelation that the authors grandmother had been sold to a brothel in her youth. With insight and empathy, Lijia Zhang reveals the surprising strength found in those confronted with impossible choices" --