The Incarnations begins with Driver Wang, a taxi driver in Beijing being stalked by someone claiming to know him and his family and leaving "stories" for him. Even though Wang reports this to the police, they tell him there is nothing they can do and so Wang continues to worry for his wife and young daughter. 
 Each "story" or incarnation is told throughout the book and in chronological order, beginning with the Tang Dynasty, AD 632 and ending in 1966 with The Anti-Capitalist School for Revolutionary Girls. The stories are often depressing with plenty of violence and abuse. No wonder Wang was worried. 
 The thing that kept me reading was Wang's personal story and to find out what would happen to his sweet daughter Echo, who is worried about someone she calls The Watcher. The ending is, you guessed it, depressing, but brings the story full circle. 
 I'm not sure that I would recommend this book, but it was well written and kept me turning the page. 3.5 stars.