Sour Sweet

I have not read so many historic Booker nominees this year, but Timothy Mo has been on my radar for some time, so it was an easy decision to pick this one up. It was his second novel, and was shortlisted for the 1982 Booker Prize.

The story alternates between two groups of characters. On the one hand we have Chen and Lily, a married couple who have arrived from Hong Kong in 1960s London. The other thread follows the in-fighting among the leadership of a Triad gang, the Hung family. It is no surprise that these threads eventually converge, but their character is very different. The whole thing sheds light on a community that was largely ignored or taken for granted by most people in Britain, and is by turns funny and violent.

At the start show more of the book Chen is working as a waiter in a restaurant in Chinatown. Lily aspires to greater things, and has been almost starving herself to save money on her meagre housekeeping allowance. The household is completed by their young son Man Kee and Lily's unmarried elder sister Mui. Chen gets involved with the gang when he finds himself needing money to finance an operation for his father in Hong Kong, and a colleague ensnares him, first by drawing him into gambling and then by arranging a loan. Soon afterwards the family starts their own restaurant in a run-down suburban area, where most of the remaining part of their story is set.

The gang's operation and rituals, and the history of the wider organisation in China, are explored in some detail, and a vicious fight with a rival faction demonstrates their ruthlessness and barbarity - the infighting centres on a conflict between their traditions and a more pragmatic approach that is needed to thrive in an alien culture. show less

Have read a couple of other books by Mo, so was surprised that I had never heard of this one.

A great little find - set in '60s England, the Chen family are coming to terms with life outside of HK. Chen is a simple man with a determined wife, they decide to set up a take-away with the help of his sister-in-law. Unfortunately, the long reach of the Triads enters their lives.

Good characters with a few very funny scenes, thoroughly recommend this.

There are two threads in this book, we start with Chen, a waiter living in London with his wife and sister-in-law and infant son and follow them a few years. The interesting character is Lily, who isn't much liked but seems to have the strongest sense of purpose and drive of the family. The second thread is a dead boring gang narrative which motivates some of the action in Chen's story and was probably considered relevant when the book was published, but hasn't any of the life of the internal family story.

Interesting book about how a chinese waiter turns restauranteur. Eventually turns to disaster in a low key way but there are good insights into Chinese humour and culture clash between fairly traditional chinese people and British society at the end of the 1960s. The car is 'the infernal carapace' which is typical of the understated humour.

This has been lent to me by a friend who is very keen on stories from around the world. it is the story of a Chinese family recently arrived in England in the 60s, and trying to make their way in the new takeaway industry, and how they cope with involvement from the Triads. I found the eprsonalities within the family attractive, and enjoyed reading about how they view English culture, but the book can get too bogged down in detail about Triad rituals.

Written from the heart, this book simply feels true.

one of the great food novels. must read again.