text:  June gets out of that village, gets an education, and finds tech jobs in Beijing. The four women's stories reflect modern China's rise, as well as the recent tightening of surveillance and restrictions on speech. I really wanted to bring out in this book what it felt like to go through these changes. You know, how do they impact the way that you see your relationships with your family, with your children, with your loved ones, the way that you date, the way that your friendships work, the way that your friendships evolve as you all move into different cities and so on?