Mai Jia’s Decoded is a complex thriller revolving around the shady world of cryptography during the tumultuous years leading up to the Cultural Revolution in China. Rong Jinzhen is a semi-autistic mathematical genius who is forcibly recruited into an elite code-breaking division of the army. He is assigned the task of cracking Code Purple and besting this notoriously difficult code leads to his elevation to Revolutionary Hero status before an even more complex code causes his world to come crashing down around him. The slow build-up to Rong Jinzhen’s story echoes the patience that he needs to crack complex codes and allows for Mai Jia to develop his characters as well as flesh-out the complicated backdrop of China in upheaval. Decoded is a clever spy thriller and a witty meditation on the past and present of China; it’s a gripping story and an excellent introduction to the work of Mai Jia.

An incredibly complex novel of cryptography, politics and China. At times it reads like a thriller, non-fiction and then the occasional added dose of magical realism. Essentially a spy novel but the non-fiction style narration adds a new detail and depth that makes it stand out. Mai Jia is a unique writer and reminded me at times of Franz Kafka as well as Laurent Binet's HHhH. The central character Rong Jinzhen is a mathematical genius with, what we assume, is some sort of autism or Asperger’s-like condition. He floats free of the story in some respects and decidates himself only to mathmatics instead we spend more time with the characters and events that surround him and the many mysterys wrapped within. The novel also exposes a culture of paranoia that is prevelant in Chinese military-thinking that will interest those who are intrigued by the country's politics and inner-workings.