Rebecca Mackenzie's debut novel In a Land of Paper Gods, released last month on Tinder Press, follows the story of Etta, born to British missionary parents in China before being sent away to a remote boarding school in Lushan.
Trying to form their own society and grow up without the influence of their parents, Etta and her friends call themselves 'prophetesses' before their actions result in tragedy. Etta's downfall is depicted as the tale takes a twist and opens up into the wider world with the consequences of the Second Sino-Japanese War catching up with the students. The book is a haunting, unique and compelling coming of age story, while Etta is a heroine who both frustrates and endears herself to the reader. The London based writer is studying poetry at the Faber Academy and has been described as a 'self-assured, poetic storyteller' by Red magazine along with a slew of rave reviews from her fellow writers - her literary career is about to take off.