The Drink and Dream Teahouse by Justin Hill

The Drink and Dream Teahouse

Justin Hill

I am strangely drawn to books set in China and this one was different from anything I've read before. The traditional values familiar to readers of Amy Tan still bind communities as Western capitalism overturns Communist ideals. Social mores, the passing of the seasons and the lifestyles paint a picture of China which is convincing and inviting. The cooking was good as well.

Extract
Autumn Cloud let out a long sigh. What terrible days. She and Party Secretary Li had worked hard to build China. Even though they were newlyweds, they hardly saw each other for days or sometimes weeks. He had been in charge of the Prostitute Re-education Centre and she had been working in the Political Press Office. Dreams of modernising the country had driven them on. It was like they had been married to the country.
Parallels
  • Riding the Iron Rooster by Paul Theroux
  • Red Dust by Ma Jiang