A New York Times Notable Book In a first novel of "vivid, harrowing beauty" (People), Murphy surveys the landscape of war and peace through the unflinching gaze of an adolescent girl. Set in Indochina in the 1940s, The Sea of Trees is narrated by Tian, who is taken prisoner when the Japanese invade Shanghai. Based on stories from the author's own family history and laced with Chinese folklore, this startling novel "could not be more artful" (Los Angeles Times).