The train was late, and the wind was blowing Meng's coat open in the snow. With no sign of his cousin, he needed somewhere to stay the night. An old man enticed him to a second-rate hostel, and despite his annoyance, Meng couldn't shake the feeling that he'd seen this place, and the old man, before.
Part of the Storycuts series, this short story was previously published in the collection Madwoman on the Bridge.
Born in 1963 in Suzhou and now living in Beijing, Su Tong is one of China's most iconic bestselling authors, shooting to international fame in 1993 when Zhang Yimou's film of his novella collection Raise the Red Lantern was nominated for an Oscar. His first short story collection, Madwoman on the Bridge was published by Black Swan in 2008. The Boat to Redemption is his latest novel to become an instant phenomenon in China.