A Concise Chinese–English Dictionary for Lovers

Twenty-three-year-old Zhuang, who renames herself Z because Westerners cannot pronounce her name, travels from China to London to learn English and immerse herself in a new culture. Armed with a small Chinese-English dictionary and a keen eye for language, she chronicles her journey of self-discovery through diary-like vignettes that start with English words and their definitions, reflecting her gradual mastery of the language and the complexities of love and cultural difference. The novel explores profound themes of language, identity, and cross-cultural communication, portraying the challenges and misunderstandings in Z's relationship with an older Englishman. It avoids simplistic cultural reconciliation, instead presenting an intimate, evolving narrative voice that captures the bittersweet and sometimes uneasy terrain of love between East and West. Xiaolu Guo’s work is both innovative in form and deeply insightful about the immigrant experience and the nuances of language learning and emotional growth.