Guide to Betrayal (10th Anniversary Edition)

A Map of Betrayal

"Forgetting the past is tantamount to betrayal—"
The most outstanding novel by Ha Jin, winner of the US National Book Award

Based on real people.
A high-ranking spy whose covert operations span China, the United States, and Taiwan. Interweaving historical facts with realistic fiction, the book reveals the spy's secrets and personal affairs, from his thoughts and actions to his family and confidantes. It confronts the human condition and presents the moral dilemmas of history and time. It examines the blind patriotism behind absolute loyalty and the loneliness and madness it fosters.

The starting point of the Sino-US spy war.

A Chinese spy lurking at the highest levels of the CIA,
Torn between China and the United States and two families,
Amidst the inextricable historical entanglements, they gradually move towards a tragic fate.

A month after her mother's passing, Lillian unexpectedly received several diaries from her father's former mistress, Susie Zhao. The contents shocked her. The father Lillian knew was the highest-ranking Chinese spy within the CIA, captured decades earlier by the United States. These diaries meticulously documented Gary Shang's years of intelligence work for the Chinese Communist government and revealed the pain and longing her father endured during his long years undercover in the United States—something even Lillian's mother, Nelly, didn't know: her father had a Chinese wife named Liu Yufeng. In search of her unknown family, Lillian follows clues in her diary and journeys into mainland China. Her journeys gradually empathize with her father's tragic plight, caught between two nations: while pledging loyalty to her motherland, she also gradually experiences genuine love and attachment in the new country where she has taken root. Lillian also discovers that her father, who has gradually become a traitor, has also been betrayed. Now, she will take necessary measures to prevent this tragedy from causing further harm...

Honestly, this is what I fear the most.
"Loving two places, and being torn by both at the same time."

"'A Guide to Betrayal' has its own unique theme. This story focuses on the conflict between the individual and the state. This topic is the most important in contemporary Chinese literature. In reality, the state is more prone to making mistakes than ordinary people, more likely to act tyrannically, and more likely to ignore the interests and well-being of its citizens. Any country may become a villain at any time and must be carefully managed and restrained by its citizens. For more than two decades, this story has weighed heavily on my heart. Because this book has such an important theme, it may have a strong backbone." - Ha Jin, Author's Preface

■New edition commemorating the 10th anniversary of the Chinese version■
Specially included is the author's new edition preface

International acclaim

"Powerful...a heartbreaking portrayal of a spy caught between two nations."—Christian Science Monitor

"A moving family story...that captures the unfolding tensions between the United States and modern China with clarity and detail."—Entertainment Weekly

"A masterful exploration of the similarities between immigrants and whistleblowers—the contradictions, the illusions, the warring loyalties."—The New Yorker

"Ha Jin's writing style has a calm simplicity... As a reader, I feel honored to be guided by such a brilliant storyteller." - Seattle Times

"Ha Jin captures the painful and tedious nature of covert espionage... We see America through the eyes of a Chinese immigrant, and his struggle between loyalty to his homeland and betrayal of a place he's grown attached to." - The New York Times Book Review

"The greatness of 'How to Betray' lies in the way it reveals and emphasizes the parallels between family and politics, and between family and the larger culture." - The Boston Globe

"In this riveting 'Guide to Betrayal,' the author offers a portrait of his most profoundly divided loyalties."—Chicago Tribune

"The book excels in its traversal of territory—China and the United States, family life and extramarital affairs—and in Gary Shang's case, in the constant tug-of-war between one man's loyalties to both countries."—National Public Radio

"A captivating story that explores the past half century of Chinese politics."—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"The author's narrative of Sino-US relations is excellent, written in a clear and highly readable style. It allows readers to truly understand the historical context and the fraught relationship between the two countries." - The Harvard Crimson

2023-11-21

時報出版

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