RIVETING plots, rivalries, adulteries and jealousies abound in the debut novel by Chiew-Siah Tei, ‘Little hut of leaping fishes’.

It is set in 1875, in the dying days of Imperial China, and at the Chai mansion two babies are born just minutes apart.

As the first grandson of Master Chai, Mingzhi’s life is already mapped out and he is destined to inherit great wealth and power. His younger brother Mingyuan is not so lucky and as second grandson will remain forever in his older brother’s shadow.

And their lives couldn’t be different, with Mingzhi seeking to escape the confines and corruption of the family mansion through learning and later marriage, while Mingyuan is seduced by the seedier side of life, by opium dens and gambling, and ultimately the desire to depose his brother.

When the ‘foreign devils’ invade the brothers’ homeland, the extent of Mingyuan’s jealousy becomes clear and Mingzhi has to decide between past and future, between family and love.

This evocative and riveting book is a great entrée by the author, who was born and raised in Malaysia. She has won awards for her Chinese prose and also scripted the film Night Swimmer which won best short film at the Vendome International Film Festival. Her play, Three Thosuand Troubled Threads, was staged at the Edinburgh Festival and after moving to the UK in the 1990s she now lives in Glasgow.

Little Hut of Leaping Fishes, by Chiew-Siah Tei, published by Picador, July 10 (£7.99 paperback)..