The characters in this literary exploration of one of the world's biggest cities are all on a mission. Whether it is responding to events around them, or following some impulse of their own, they are defined by their determination - a refusal to lose themselves in a city that might otherwise leave them anonymous, disconnected, alone. From the neglected mother whose side-hustle in collecting sellable waste becomes an obsession, to the schoolboy determined to end a long-standing feud between his family and another, these characters show a defiance that reminds us why Shanghai - despite its hurtling economic growth -remains an epicentre for individual creativity.