There are many literary works about the Second World War or post-war years, but works by a Chinese writer trying to understand the European narrative are rare. Marvel at the author’s profound knowledge of European history, religion, philosophy, art, technology etc.

Xu Jianping, Professor Department of Chinese, Department of Translation, Brussels Free University

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The dialogues in ‘Brigantine’ make you realize how much trauma WWII caused (and keeps causing). You experience the impact on the interpersonal relationships of the characters. And the more you learn about the circumstances, the more you start to feel compassion for all the characters, even the ones you had less sympathy for at the start. The book is also much more than a novel with two surprising storylines. The two narratives complement each other (but some readers might prefer to read them separately). Readers who like variations in style will appreciate the artistic patchwork of diary fragments, letters, poetry, drama ... And along the way you learn a lot about history, philosophy, religion... and marine life.

Anneke Stoffels, Belgian journalist & translator

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More than once I turned the cover of the book to check the author’s name. Xie Lingjie is definitely a woman’s name. Nevertheless, the extraordinary breath shown in the book is not seen in the works of well-known female writers such as Zhang Ailing, Bin Xin or Ding Ling.

Li Hou Nanxi, Writer, New York