Book description
Spencer Savage, a young American consul, is posted to Ayer Hitam, a
small Malaysian town, in the 1970s. Told to close down this remote
outpost in the sweltering jungle, he instead finds himself drawn to
the many characters he meets among the Malays, Indians, Japanese,
Chinese, and the clubbable expat Brits.
Through his eyes we see the rich tapestry of multi-ethnic life in
post-colonial Malaysia, from adultery to murder, from ghost stories to
the murky waters of diplomatic politics.
It is a brilliant portrait of a vanished time, a lost landscape and
scattered peoples.
Paul Theroux's highly acclaimed books include
Dark Star Safari
,
Ghost Train to the Eastern Star
,
Riding the Iron Rooster
,
The Great Railway Bazaar
,
The Old Patagonian Express
,
Fresh Air Fiend,
The Elephanta Suite
and
A Dead Hand. The Mosquito Coast
and
Dr Slaughter
have both been made into successful films. Paul Theroux is also a
frequent contributor to magazines, and divides his time between Cape Cod
and the Hawaiian islands.
