Ruby Wei's Cacophony is the first novel in a series that explores empathy through the lens of minorities in the US and in China.

Meet Dolkar: victim combating her vulnerability. "...abandoned, I first met him when I got here, his white fur tainted a dirty brown. I couldn't say I liked the human race too much... With eyes purer than my own, he watched out for me, but even his barks wouldn't prevent the inevitable from happening."

Arno: adventurist wrestling his ideals. "I was never trying to save the world- I'm here to learn from the world, Sir..."

And Idalia: dreamer grappling with reality. "I did not need an accountant to know he's a sunk cost- anything I do from here on out is either a return or an investment... Alas, where shall I go? What should I do? How shall I live?"

Cacophony is the story of how their worlds collide. Or don't.