I really liked this book. In fact, I like it so much I am going to recommend it to my book club.  Two female college graduates decide on a whim to go backpacking through China for a year.

Neither of them speaks any Chinese, and the English / Chinese translation book they have with them turns out to be almost useless. There are so many different dialects in China. Making themselves understood is a constant problem. This is 1986, two years before Tiananmen Square, and the Chinese Communist Party only recently allowed foreign visitors any access.

They act like typical college graduates, thinking they know it all. They argue, they fight, they make up, and they get into more and more trouble. The suspense builds; will they ever get out of China?  Can this really be a true story? Yes it is.

They go into China through Hong Kong with all the legal documents they need in order. Right away Claire begins to think something isn’t right. She becomes more suspicious as the story unfolds. Susie is concerned with the more immediate problems: where to stay, how to find food, where to go and how to get to their next destination. Is Claire right?  Is every movement being tracked, and if so, by whom?

This book is very well written. When Suzan Jane Gilman develops a character she gives the listener enough information so that they feel like they know the character. Unlike some writers, she does not throw in a bunch of frivolous details. I was not able to listen to the entire book in one sitting. Once I got started, I couldn’t wait to get back to it, so I could find out what happens next.

As an added bonus, there is an interview with the author after the story is told. It is all true, and she is still in contact with many of the characters in the story. In fact, some of them served as proofreaders. This is a great story. I would recommend it to anyone.