An Echo in the City

Two teens navigate interpersonal issues and budding romance amid civil unrest in Song’s affecting debut, set at the height of 2019 Hong Kong protests against the Chinese extradition bill. To avoid tension surrounding her parents’ recent divorce, 16-year-old Phoenix “Nix” Lam accompanies her older brother to a student protest, which sparks her passion for justice and compels her to use her photography skills to document the movement and raise awareness. Meanwhile, 17-year-old Zhang Kai En has recently relocated from Shanghai to Hong Kong to live with his father after his mother’s death. Though Kai dreams of becoming an artist, he joins the police academy to prove himself to his taciturn father, a respected inspector with the Political Tactical Unit. After accidentally swapping phones at a restaurant, Nix and Kai become fast friends, and Nix invites Kai to get involved in the movement. Eager to get ahead at the academy, Kai withholds his status as a trainee from Nix and uses her involvement to infiltrate the organizing meetings. Song thoughtfully depicts Nix’s and Kai’s economic disparity and initially opposing ideals via their uniquely developed alternating POVs, providing an unflinching depiction of two teens living through a fraught period in history. Ages 14–up. Agent: Lauren Spieller, Triada US. (June)