When Sleeping Women Wake
Winner, Indie Book Award for Debut Fiction (Australian Independent Booksellers) (2026)
Longlisted, ARA Historical Novel Prize (2025)

Join us for a special evening with Emma Pei Yin as she discusses the inspiration behind this powerful novel, the history that shaped it, and the unbreakable bonds at its heart.

Set during the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong in World War II, When Sleeping Women Wake is a sweeping and intimate debut that follows three extraordinary women—a refined First Wife, her determined daughter, and their devoted maid—as their lives are violently torn apart by war. As the Tang family’s world collapses, each woman is forced onto a separate path: coerced collaboration, grueling factory labor, and dangerous encounters with the East River Column Resistance. Their stories reveal the fierce courage, sacrifice, and love that emerge when ordinary people are pushed to extraordinary limits.

About Room to Read
Founded in 2000 on the belief that World Change Starts with Educated Children®, Room to Read develops children’s foundational literacy skills, as well as life skills that promote gender equality. We nurture these essential skills in children by training and coaching educators, creating quality learning materials and spaces, strengthening education systems, and delivering programs directly and with partners – all while honouring the dignity of every child. Committed to accelerating learning outcomes for more children, more quickly, Room to Read has benefited children across 29 countries, with more than 17 million children actively benefiting from our programming in 2025 alone. Room to Read envisions a world free from illiteracy and gender inequality, where all children have room to read, learn and grow. Visit us at www.roomtoread.org .

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