The Phoenix Pencil Company

'Suspenseful' MAIL ON SUNDAY‘Wildly inventive’ LIZ MOOREJUNE 2025 REESE WITHERSPOON BOOK CLUB PICKIn this dazzling debut novel, a young reclusive coder unearths the story of a lost Shanghai pencil company and a legacy of magic, espionage and family secrets that will alter the path of her life forever.Monica Tsai spends most days on her computer coding for a program that seeks to connect strangers online. A self-confessed recluse, she finds herself escaping into a digital world, counting the days until she can return home to her beloved grandparents. They are now in their nineties, and she worries about them – especially her grandmother Yun whose memory has begun to fade.

‘An absorbing family saga interwoven with reflections on the power of stories, and who has the right to decide what is preserved or permitted to remain secret’ Guardian

'The thread of magical realism throughout nods to Gabriel García Márquez, but the novel is also enlightening on 20th-century Chinese and Taiwanese history … an intimate story of familial love and connection throughout the generations' Independent

‘First-time novelist King delivers a suspenseful family epic fueled by love and espionage’ Mail on Sunday

‘A magical, multi-generational novel to get lost in’Good Housekeeping

'King’s debut explores feminine identity and how the memories of past generations can be inherited … A reminder of how family ties shape us’ Woman & Home

‘I loved this wildly inventive novel and its exploration of how technology and humanity can intersect in deeply meaningful ways. Allison King is a talent to watch’ Liz Moore, author of The God of the Woods

'An absorbing dual-timeline novel of high-tech, low-tech, and sorcery. Destined to delight' Anton Hur, author of Toward Eternity

'China, America, generations, and stories connect with literal magic in this suspenseful debut. Marvellous!' Gish Jen, award-winning author of The Resisters

'A beautiful ode to the warmth of family connection, the power of memory, and the magic of the written word' Ray Nayler, award-winning author of The Mountain in the Sea

‘A masterful blending of history, fantasy, and romance that sank into my heart the way the magic of its pencils sinks into veins. King has written a stunning debut that pulses with love and loss, regret and forgiveness … This book had me smiling through my tears’ Fonda Lee, author of The Green Bone Saga

'A rare novel … ultimately asking the question of what really matters when it comes to the people we love’ Sequoia Nagamatsu, bestselling author of How High We Go in the Dark

‘The shimmering debut … both spellbinding and heartbreakingly evocative’ Bookmark Magazine