From the author of the 2007 Orange Prize finalist A Concise Chinese-English Dictionary for Lovers comes a wholly original and thoroughly captivating coming-of-age story that follows a bright, impassioned young woman as she rushes headlong into the maelstrom of a rapidly changing Beijing to chase her dreams.

1. The novel is divided, as the title suggests, into twenty short chapters with small black and white photographs scattered throughout the text. Why do you think the author chose this structure to relate her heroine’s story? Discuss what you think the purpose of the photographs might be.
2. Fenfang Wang leaves her rural home in hopes of capturing “bright, shiny things” in the big city. How is her journey similar or dissimilar to that of a young American woman who moves from the countryside to the city in hopes of making it big? Do you know people who have followed the same journey? In what ways do you think the cultural differences between China and America impact upon their individual experiences?
3. What is the significance of “ravenous” of the title? How does Fenfang go about satiating those needs?
4. When Fenfang arrives in Beijing, she has little money and nowhere to go. She finds herself outside a small house of a woman and her daughter, whom we see run out of the house only to get run over by a truck. Fenfang moves into their empty home. Do you find that shocking? Do you believe she’s an aggressive opportunist or do you think there is something more subtle happening — an underlying will to survive? Do you think her attitudes are universal?
5. As a child Fenfang watched her mother toil in the sweet potato fields day after day; by the age of seventeen, she knows that that is not the life she wants for herself. Do you think she is sympathetic to her mother’s fate? How does her view of her mother change by the end of the book?
6. Both Fenfang and Beijing are trying to come of age extremely quickly. Yet Fenfang seems overwhelmed navigating the chaos of the capital city. In what ways does her sorrow come out in the story? Why do you think a woman of Fenfang’s determination finds the city so challenging?
7. Fenfang devours western films and literature. Discuss why you believe her passion for French films and American literature could be more than a reflection of the widespread popularity of western culture abroad.
8. Fenfang’s boyfriend from Boston says that “China is better at being American than America.” What do you think he means by that? What are the examples in the novel that support his statement?
9. Fenfang says: “You can check any Chinese dictionary, there’s no word for ‘romance.’ We say ‘Lo Man,’ copying the English pronunciation.” Did you find this observation surprising? In which ways do you think this fundamental difference in language may have contributed to Fenfang’s difficulties with men and with love in general?
10. The final words of the novel are spoken by Fenfang addressing herself: “You must take care of your life.” In what ways do they sum up what the novel is about? Do you think she will take care of herself or do you see her continuing her headstrong approach to living?