A dazzling literary thriller set in Japan-occupied China from the most translated Chinese novelist of our time.

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China, 1941.

While war rages in Europe, Japan has established itself as the supreme power in Asia. The beautiful province of Hangzhou has become a stronghold of the Japanese puppet government.

One day, five officers from the code-breaking department are escorted to an isolated mansion outside the city. One of them has been sharing secrets with the communists. No-one is leaving until the traitor is uncovered.

It should be a straightforward case of sifting truth from lies. But as each code-breaker spins a story that proves their innocence, events are re-framed, and what really happened is called into question again and again.

Part revisionist history, part playful meta-fiction, The Message is at once an absorbing and cerebral spy thriller and a commentary on storytelling itself.

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Praise for Mai Jia:

'A page-turner with a gripping plot, otherworldly aura, and flamboyant detail' New York Times on Decoded.
'A literary superstar' Telegraph.
'A mix of spy thriller, historical saga and mathematical puzzle that coheres into a powerful whole' Financial Times on Decoded.