Tan Feng was my one and only friend in Sichuan. He was the same age as me: about eight or nine. Tan Feng's family lived next door to us, and their other kids were all girls, so you can imagine how they spoiled their only boy. They really adored him, but they didn't know what he got up to. Tan Feng stole things.
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.
