num_pages: 312
description: Set in 8th-century Tang Dynasty China, The Walking Boy follows the life of Baoshi, a young disciple to an aging hermit monk, who has a secret only his master knows. When he is just sixteen, Baoshi is sent on a quest to Chang'an, the ancient Western Capital and the epicentre of the Tang Dynasty, ruled by the bitter and aging Female Emperor, Nü Huang. Baoshi soon finds himself embroiled in a ghost story set amidst the sumptuous and elaborate rituals of the palace, a decadent world of corruption and intrigue, passion and desire.A vivid and compelling novel inspired by true historical events, The Walking Boy is a contemporary re-visioning of 8th-century China, written with exquisite lyricism and boundless imagination.
language: English
title: The Walking Boy: A Novel
titlecomplete: The Walking Boy: A Novel
genres: Fiction, Historical, Asia, Queer, Canada, Asian Literature, Historical Fiction
ratings_count: 66
awards: awardedAt: 1136102400000
name: Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize
publisher: Key Porter Books