August Book Club - Tongueless by Lau Yee-Wa

​Our August Book of the Month is ᴛᴏɴɢᴜᴇʟᴇꜱꜱ by Lau Yee-Wa, translated by Jennifer Feely! 📚✨ We're hosting a special virtual Q&A with both the author and translator. Participants will first discuss the book face to face before connecting online at the venue. Mandarin and Cantonese will be used during the Q&A, English interpretation will be available.

​Venue: West London (exact location will be shared after registration)

​About the book
ᴛᴏɴɢᴜᴇʟᴇꜱꜱ follows two rival teachers at a secondary school in Hong Kong who are instructed to switch from teaching in Cantonese to Mandarin—or lose their jobs. Apolitical and focusing on surviving and thriving in their professional environment, Wai and Ling each approach the challenge differently. Wai, awkward and unpopular, becomes obsessed with Mandarin learning; Ling, knowing how to please her superiors and colleagues, thinks she can tactfully dodge the Mandarin challenge by deploying her social savviness. Wai eventually crumples under the pressure and dies by suicide, leaving her colleague Ling to face seismic political and cultural change alone as she considers how far she will go to survive such a ruthlessly competitive work environment.  Sharp, darkly humorous, and politically pointed, Tongueless presciently engages with important issues facing Hong Kong today during which so much of the city’s uniqueness—especially its language—is at risk of being erased. (Feminist Press)

​Available from Amazon from £7.99. 304 pages.

​🎟️ Tickets are non-refundable and cover facilitation and platform costs. Please consider this before purchasing.

​🍿Ticket price includes light refreshments.

​🤐Try to read the book before coming to avoid spoilers!

​If you need assistance with the ticket fee or have questions, please email us at eseabookclub@gmail.com. Email us if you would like a PDF copy of the book (you'll need to get a ticket first).