Johnny Lim, the central character, is the most successful merchant in the Kinta Valley (central Malaysia), trading in textiles and smuggled/stolen goods. He was also a leader of the local communists and he is regarded as a cult figure from his associations with grave deeds, but his influence, cunning and secrecy protect him from being challenged.

The three narrators - Johnny's son, his wife and his best friend, all fail to get inside this shady character. The son regards his father as a traitor and despises the corruption, but it is perhaps more the father's coldness which hurts. Still he is fascinated enough to research Johnny's life and at his father's funeral denies there was any rift between them.

Johnny's wife comes from an elite family and her beauty is no compensation for her aloofness or unfaithfulness. Like much else in this book, the legitimacy of Johnny's son is not resolved - though taking along three extra men on your honeymoon is surely a precursor to disaster!

The flamboyant Peter Wormwood, Johnny's friend, is the least believable character - an Oxford graduate venturing to Malaysia in the 1930's without a role in administration or business, who starts out rather like a backpacker - selling his shoes in order to reach the Valley; yet manages to survive there for the rest of his life without, seemingly, any means of support - an 'actor' who speaks several European languages and (constantly) sings operatic songs! He seems to have breezed through being taken as a Japanese POW, tours the country sitting under bohdi trees like some hippy and ends up in a old peoples' home run by the Catholic Church!
taken from an Amazon review.

Going to Worsdell as a surprise RABCK. See you soon.

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

RABCK to a family member I am hoping to see in the flesh shortly. Have a lovely relaxing read during your beautiful summer. We'll bring the snow!!

Different. Learned more about Malaysia. Had difficulty initially with changes in narrator but made sense as story progressed.Would read more by this author'Passed on to my daughter who is travlleing to Malaysia

CAUGHT IN HAMILTON WAIKATO NEW ZEALAND

My Mum passed this book onto me. It took me ages to read, in part because I was travelling a lot. Ironically my travels took me to Malaysia a few times, which is of course the setting for the book. It was interesting to read about the country in that time period and discover more about its peoples. I plan to pass the book onto a colleague who I travelled with.