In 1966, as a brutal revolution grips his city, morgue keeper Qing Yuan spends his nights cleaning bodies in silence—until a viciously murdered woman, known only as “#19,” shatters his routine, and he becomes entangled in an existential quest to uncover the truth behind her fate.

Today, the rapid rise of authoritarianism around the world, with its threats of state control and political persecution, gives plenty of reason for concern here in the United States, and plenty of reason to speculate on what is soon to come. The future that Ruyan Meng ventures in The Morgue Keeper, her relentless, scintil­lating debut novel, is unique, one drawn from historical precedent, and from experience itself. Based on true events, it is both a tale for our uncertain time and a harrowing testimony to survival. Its hero is unforgettable: Qing Yuan’s power lies not in grand defiance, but in his unwavering faith in human kindness and compassion.