CHINA ROOM by Sunjeev Sahota received a flurry of praise on the day of its release. Ploughshares deems the book a "deeply captivating and necessary novel,” while USA Today rates it 3½ out of four stars, writing: “Sahota has powerfully imagined a life under extreme constraint…a reminder that freedom is hard-won, but fear and anxiety can get passed down as heirlooms.” The book was also chosen as a Book of the Month pick, where author Tessa Hadley raves: “The material [in CHINA ROOM] was entirely fresh and new, the writing economical and elegant. And – what a compelling story.” Viking published the novel on July 13, 2021.