Set in the afterglow of the great American Gold Rush, Zhang’s novel follows the journey of two immigrant teenage girls after the unexpected death of their sole parent.

What makes a home a home?

Tell me a story I can dream on...

Ba dies in the night, Ma is already gone. Lucy and Sam, twelve and eleven, are suddenly alone and on the run. With their father's body on their backs, they roam an unforgiving landscape dotted with giant buffalo bones and tiger paw prints, searching for a place to give him a proper burial.

How Much of These Hills is Gold is a novel about a family bound and divided by its memories.