It is 1935, and Tom Stewart, a young Englishman with a longing for adventure, buys himself a cheap ticket aboard the SS Darjeeling-en route to the complex and corrupt world of Hong Kong. A shipboard wager leads to an unlikely friendship that spans seven decades as Hong Kong endures the savagery of the Japanese occupation, emerging as a crossroads of international finance and the nexus of a world of warlords, drug runners, and Chinese triads.
This portrait of Hong Kong in the 20th century begins in 1935 when Tom Stewart leaves England to work in the hotel business there. He survives the horrors of World War II, crosses paths with a Chinese nun who plays a vital role in his life, and becomes a major figure in the fortunes of postwar Hong Kong. Lanchester's novel, thoroughly immersed in the history and atmosphere of the place, uses a panoramic view plus three interwoven stories to demonstrate how Hong Kong has changed over the course of 75 years. A New York Times Notable Book for 2002.
- Genre: Romance, Fiction + Literature Themes
- Subgenre: War + Military, Literary Genres + Types of Novels, Love + Relationships + Sex
- Publisher: Penguin Group USA
- Pages: 352
- Edition: Reprint
- Language: English
- Format: paperback
- Release Date: September 1, 2003
- Date Published: September 1, 2003
- Author: John Lanchester