Nga-Yee, a librarian who lives with her school-age younger sister after the death of their parents, arrives home one day to find her sister has committed suicide. Unable to believe that her sister would do this, she vows to track down the people responsible and make them pay.
Months earlier, Nga-Yee's sister, Siu-Man, had been sexually assaulted on a busy train. With the help of onlookers, she identified the man responsible and he was sent to jail. However, shortly after, a social media post - claiming to be from the man's nephew - smeared Siu-Man, calling her a liar. Weeks of cyber-bullying followed, pushing Siu-Man to her death.
Nga-Yee tries the normal private detective route but the one she finds explains this task will be impossible for him. He, instead, puts her in touch with a hacker who, for a hefty price, takes on her case.
The scale and scope of this novel is impressive and Chan Ho-Kei sensitively handles the distressing nature of the subject material. He shows how cyber-bullying has many elements to it and there are many more players than first appear. The plot and pace tick along without a dull moment, with enough twists and turns to keep even the most savvy reader guessing. Even when one thinks all the mysteries have been revealed, more questions and answers appear.
The teenage experience is examined well here, especially with the concern to always perform well on social media, knowing that one can get digitally crucified with even a small misstep. It exposes the dark side of the internet, the uneasy knowledge that none of our digitally-stored information can be kept truly secure, and how important it is to always be aware of what we put online.
This is a brilliantly written novel, and its themes and questions will leave the reader more aware of the importance of keep not just their physical selves save, but their digital ones, too.
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