The Vagrants

As morning dawns on the provincial city of Muddy River, a spirited young woman, Gu Shan, once a devoted follower of Chairman Mao, has renounced her faith in Communism. Now a political prisoner, she is to be executed for her dissent. While Gu Shan's distraught mother makes bold decisions, her father begins to retreat into memories. Neither of them imagines that their daughter's death will have profound and far-reaching effects, in Muddy River and beyond. Among the characters affected are Kai, a beautiful radio announcer who is married to a man from a powerful family; Tong, a lonely seven-year-old boy; and Nini, a hungry young girl. Beijing is being rocked by the Democratic Wall Movement, an anti-Communist groundswell designed to move the country toward a more enlightened and open society, but the government backlash will be severe.(From Random House)

Chinese American author Yiyun Li's novels and story collections includeKinder Than Solitude,A Thousand Years of Good PrayersandWhere Reasons End. She is also the author of thememoirDear Friend, From My Life I Write To You in Your Life, which describes her struggle with depression.

• 30 books to celebrate 30 years ofWriters & Company

From the book

Interviews with Yiyun Li

The Sunday Magazine20:02Aging, memory and the roles we play in each other's lives

Yiyun Li's novel Must I Go is a portrait of the rich inner life of an octogenarian woman in long-term care. It also deals with the aftermath of losing a child to suicide, and is deeply informed by the the death of Li's own son. Chattopadhyay speaks with the author about her story, processing grief, and the roles we play in each other's lives.