'Two love stories lie at the centre of this impressive debut, which explores the moral ambiguities of war, culture, race and romantic love. Intriguing, sad, rivetingly detailed' Elizabeth Buchan, Daily Mail '[A] lovely novel -- it has an old-fashioned solidity and craftsmanship and effortlessly recreates the atmosphere of post-war Hong Kong' Kate Saunders, The Times 'This is a rare and exquisite story. It does exactly what a great novel should do -- transports you out of time, out of place, into a world you can feel on your very skin' Elizabeth Gilbert, author of 'Eat, Pray, Love' 'This season's "Atonement"!a first-class steamer ticket to a disappearing Hong Kong' Elle Magazine 'This cinematic tale of two love affairs in mid-century Hong Kong shows colonial pretensions tainted by wartime truths!Lee unfolds each story, and flits between them, with the brisk grace and discretion of the society she describes' New Yorker 'Laced with intrigue!Readers will be enthralled by Lee's depiction of Will's relationships with his two lovers!and the unsparing way Lee unravels them' New York Times 'War. Love. Betrayal. The harsh lessons of history. These are big subjects for any veteran writer, and yet, in her first novel, Janice Y.K. Lee confronts them admirably' Washington Post 'Evocative, poignant and skilfully crafted, "The Piano Teacher" is more than an epic tale of war and a tangled, tortured love story. It is the kind of novel one consumes in great, greedy gulps, pausing (grudgingly) only when absolutely necessary' Chicago Tribune 'War, love, betrayal -- an exquisite fugue of a first novel!intensely readable' O (Oprah Magazine) 'A heartfelt debut [that] illuminates World War II's lesser-known chapters' Vogue 'One of the most insightful, elegant and atmospheric novels I've read in a long time. Janice Lee is nothing short of brilliant and her novel is impossible to put down' Gary Shteyngart 'Rarely does one encounter a debut work as beguiling and assured as Janice Lee's "The Piano Teacher". Rich with intrigue, romance, and betrayal, this wonderfully written, utterly captivating novel dazzles with its sharp-eyed renderings of beau monde Hong Kong as it is plunged into the crucible of war. With its fascinating interplay of East and West and wide cast of effervescent characters, especially the singularly haunting Trudy Liang, this is a truly transporting -- and indeed irresistible -- work of fiction' Chang-rae Lee, author of 'Aloft' 'Janice Y.K. Lee's debut novel is an ambitious exploration of love and loyalty set in colonial Hong Kong over two time periods. It is an intriguing complex thriller, in which personal crises are set against tumultuous historical circumstances, and stability is the ultimate sacrifice.' Sunday Business Post 'A tragic tale of lost love.' Belfast Telegraph

Janice Y.K. Lee graduated from Harvard University. She worked as a features editor at 'Elle' and 'Mirabella' magazines in New York before quitting to write full-time. A Korean-American, she currently lives in Hong Kong with her family.