1–What is the title of your latest release?
2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?
The Funeral Cryer tells the story of an unnamed woman in a remote village in China who cries at funerals for a living. Her fellow villagers shun her as they believe she carries a deadly atmosphere. She leads a mundane and isolated life and her jobless husband does not appreciate her hard work. She goes to the barbershop regularly and gradually she is attracted to the barber, who is a newcomer in her village.
3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place?
Professional mourning is a dying tradition in China – it mainly exists in remote areas now, so a village setting without convenient transport and where everyone knows everyone seemed an ideal place for the story to take place. I interviewed some friends who are from villages in Northeast China, and West Mud River Village, the village in the book, is actually the name of a real village; I based my story village on its details.
4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life?
Yes. I’d tell her she doesn’t carry a deadly atmosphere and she doesn’t bring back luck to people.
5–What are three words that describe your protagonist?
Sensitive, observant, and resilient.
6–What’s something you learned while writing this book?
The best way to learn to write, and to improve your writing, is to write and keep writing.
7–Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?
I do a bit of both. I’d normally try to finish the draft without too much editing; if I get stuck or have some ideas for the earlier chapters, I’ll go back to make some edits.
8–What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?
Tomato fried egg.
9–Describe your writing space/office!
I don’t have a designated writing space. I write wherever I am.
10–Who is an author you admire?
Milan Kundera and Pat Barker.
11–Is there a book that changed your life?
Jude the Obscure – it made me want to study at Oxford. In the end, however, I studied at Cambridge instead.
12–Tell us about when you got “the call.” (when you found out your book was going to be published)/Or, for indie authors, when you decided to self-publish.
I was at work, and my agent called. I had more than one offer, so it was a difficult decision.
13–What’s your favorite genre to read?
Historical fiction.
14–What’s your favorite movie?
Quo Vadis.
15–What is your favorite season?
All the four seasons.
16–How do you like to celebrate your birthday?
My husband takes me out for a coffee and I do some shopping during the day, then we have dinner out with our son and daughter.
17–What’s a recent tv show/movie/book/podcast you highly recommend?
I love to watch anything with David Attenborough.
18–What’s your favorite type of cuisine?
Chinese.
19–What do you do when you have free time?
I learn Italian and the piano.
20–What can readers expect from you next?
I have finished writing my second book. It’s historical fiction – that’s all I can reveal now.
THE FUNERAL CRYER by Wenyan Lu
A Novel
Debut novelist Wenyan Lu brings us this witty yet profound story about one woman’s midlife reawakening in contemporary rural China, for fans of Yiyun Li and Julie Otsuka.
The Funeral Cryer long ago accepted the mundane realities of her life: avoided by fellow villagers because of the stigma attached to her job and underappreciated by her husband, whose fecklessness has pushed the couple close to the brink of breakup. But just when things couldn’t be bleaker, she takes a leap of faith—and in so doing, things start to take a surprising turn for the better.
Dark, moving and wry, The Funeral Cryer is both an illuminating depiction of a “left behind” society—and proof that it’s never too late to change your life.
Literature and Fiction Literary [Hanover Square Press, On Sale: April 30, 2024, Hardcover / e-Book, ISBN: 9781335016935 / ]
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About Wenyan Lu
Originally from Shanghai, China, Wenyan Lu is the winner of the SI Leeds Literary Prize 2020. Wenyan holds a Master of Studies in Creative Writing as well as a Postgraduate Certificate in Teaching Creative Writing from the University of Cambridge. Her unpublished historical novel, The Martyr’s Hymn, was also longlisted for SI Leeds Literary Prize 2018 and Bridport First Novel Prize 2019.
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