Cinema Love by Jiaming Tang

'Cinema Love is not just an extraordinary debut but a future classic' Jessamine Chan, author of The School for Good Mothers

'A tender and enrapturing feat of storytelling' Vanessa Chan, author of The Storm We Made

'Epic in its reach yet so intimate and nuanced in its ability to break the heart of its reader' Wiz Wharton, author of Ghost Girl, Banana

For over thirty years, Old Second and Bao Mei have cobbled together a meagre existence in New York City's Chinatown. But unlike other couples, these two share an unusual past. In rural Fuzhou, before they emigrated, they frequented the Workers' Cinema, where gay men cruised for love.

While classic war films played, Old Second and his fellow countrymen found intimacy in the privacy of the Workers' Cinema's screening rooms. Elsewhere, in the box office, Bao Mei sold tickets to closeted men - guarding their secrets and finding her own happiness with the projectionist. But when secrets are unveiled, they set in motion a series of haunting events that propel Old Second and Bao Mei towards an uncertain future in America.

Spanning three timelines - post-socialist China, 1980s Chinatown, and contemporary New York - Cinema Love is a tender epic about men and women who find themselves in forbidden and frustrated relationships as they grapple with the past and their unspoken desires.