Kowloon Tong: A Novel of Hong Kong - Softcover

Theroux, Paul

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0395901413 ISBN 13: 9780395901410

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin (Trade), 1998

Synopsis

For Neville "Bunt" Mullard and his mother, Betty, Hong Kong is part of Britain - one of the pleasanter parts; it is also cozy, monotonous, profitable, and homely. Now ninety-nine years of colonial rule are about to end, and the British government is about to hand over Hong Kong to China. Betty and Bunt can see China from their parlor, but they have never been there. They detest Chinese food. "The Chinese take-away, " as they call the Hand-over, does not particularly concern them. When Bunt first meets Mr. Hung, a well-spoken gentleman from the Chinese mainland, he pays him little heed. And when Mr. Hung offers the Mullards a handsome sum for their family business - a fifty-year-old textile factory, Imperial Stitching, that was cofounded by Bunt's late father - Bunt refuses him out of hand. Yet it soon grows clear that Mr. Hung is different from the Chinese the Mullards have lived alongside for years. For Mr. Hung will accept no refusals. Then a young woman from the Mullards' factory vanishes, one of many disappearances. But this one is different. Ah Fu has last been seen in the company of Mr. Hung. And so Bunt is forced for the first time in his forty-three years to make decisions that matter. He even begins, maybe, to discover love. Yet against all of Bunt's good, if half-formed, intentions are pitted the will of Mr. Hung and the looming threat of the ultimate betrayal.

About this title

Review:

"A compact, provocative gem of a novel." Boston Globe

"A moody thriller . . . cleverly, tightly constructed, fast-paced." The New York Times

"A taut, illuminating story that transcends it's timely subject . . . A bravura performance." The Washington Post

About the Author:

PAUL THEROUX is the author of many highly acclaimed books. His novels include The Lower River and The Mosquito Coast, and his renowned travel books include Ghost Train to the Eastern Star and Dark Star Safari. He lives in Hawaii and Cape Cod.

About this edition

• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin (Trade)
• Publication date: 1998
• ISBN 10: 0395901413
• ISBN 13: 9780395901410
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 248