Penguin China recently released the English translation of author Sheng Keyi’s first novel Northern Girls, a fictional journey through the riotous streets and shops of boom-town Shenzhen, led by the 16-year-old village girl Qian Xiaohong. It’s a book that is interesting for its content, and frustrating for its stylistic and narrative problems, many of which could have been avoided with the help of a good editor....