A “highly anticipated” war fiction book will hit shelves on Tuesday (June 17). When Sleeping Women Wake is author Emma Pei Yin’s debut novel.
The book has been highlighted on Penguin Random House’s Most Anticipated Historical Fiction of Summer 2025 list. Yin Pei’s book follows three extraordinary women; a mother, her daughter and their maid. The story follws each of them as they are forced on to a journey of survival during World War II when the Japanese occupied Hong Kong.
The blurb reads: “1941. Following the Japanese invasion of Shanghai, the wealthy Tang family has settled in Hong Kong, believing it to be protected under British occupation.
“As the First Wife of the family, Mingzhu leads a glamorous, if at times lonely, existence—mothering the son of her husband’s concubine, overseeing her daughter Qiang’s education, and directing their household of servants, including her long-time confidante, Biyu.
“But when the Japanese invade Hong Kong, the paths of Mingzhu, Qiang, and Biyu wildly diverge.”
The novel has already received much praise from other authors
Internationally bestselling author of Beasts of a Little Land and City of Night Birds, Juhea Kim said: “A lushly romantic and impassioned story of women’s agency and resilience.”
“Historical fiction at its finest,” said Wiz Wharton, author of Ghost Girl, Banana.
Weina Dai Randel, award-winning, Wall Street Journal bestselling author of The Master Jeweler, said: “A powerful tribute to the forgotten women and men who fought and resisted the merciless grip of the Japanese forces during a dark period of Hong Kong’s history… Readers of historical fiction will be swept away by this stunning tale. Emma Pei Yin is a talent to watch.”
When Sleeping Women Wake looks into how ordinary people can be capable of extraordinary things, as well as the powerful feeling that love can carry people through the darkest times.
Pei Yin’s novel will be published by Ballantine Books.
When Sleeping Women Wake will be released on June 17 and available to buy online and in store, and is currently available to pre-order.