In a small village in the Balou Mountains, Fourth Wife You despairs of what the future holds for her four mentally-impaired children. A cure for the family curse appears, but it will extract a price so primal and complete that no one can be expected to make it except, perhaps, for a mother. A chilling and relentless tale of family responsibility and a mother's sacrifice, Marrow is Yan Lianke at his best. Translated from the original Chinese by Carlos Rojas