Interesting enough synopsis on the cover of this book… which is why i picked it up. Well, good enough a read. Its about a white guy, alfie, just a normal English language teacher, who goes out to the east, to hong kong, just before its surrendered to the Chinese, as he is sick and fed up of life as it is back in London, teaching students who don’t appreciate it or him.
Life in hong kong is rather lonely, but different, till he meets the woman of his dreams, whom he marries, only to have her die on him a year later in a horrific diving accident. Her love for diving makes alfie learn how to swim properly and dive with her, and its on one of those diving trips they make, that is fated.
After being treated for decompression sickness, and then, leaving hong kong, as it has nothing to offer him anymore, alfie moves back in with his parents. He eventually starts teaching English as a second language at an international school. He ends up having a series of affairs with a range of students, much to the disapproval of the school. He only stops when he finds his last girlfriend pregnant, and going for an abortion.
Evil as he may seem now, he actually does try to be a better person, making friends with expats, immigrants, among them an older man from hongkong, who has a Chinese restaurant that he runs with his family. This older man, george, attempts to teach him a thing or two about life, through tai chi.
We see alfie learning many things in life, making mistakes as he goes along, as most of us do. His parents get divorced meanwhile, his grandmother dies…. The one student that he does not want to teach in the end becomes his next betrothed… and life goes back to normal, as he learns to accept change and live with it.
An engrossing book, as it is the story of life that could happen to any of us.
Life in hong kong is rather lonely, but different, till he meets the woman of his dreams, whom he marries, only to have her die on him a year later in a horrific diving accident. Her love for diving makes alfie learn how to swim properly and dive with her, and its on one of those diving trips they make, that is fated.
After being treated for decompression sickness, and then, leaving hong kong, as it has nothing to offer him anymore, alfie moves back in with his parents. He eventually starts teaching English as a second language at an international school. He ends up having a series of affairs with a range of students, much to the disapproval of the school. He only stops when he finds his last girlfriend pregnant, and going for an abortion.
Evil as he may seem now, he actually does try to be a better person, making friends with expats, immigrants, among them an older man from hongkong, who has a Chinese restaurant that he runs with his family. This older man, george, attempts to teach him a thing or two about life, through tai chi.
We see alfie learning many things in life, making mistakes as he goes along, as most of us do. His parents get divorced meanwhile, his grandmother dies…. The one student that he does not want to teach in the end becomes his next betrothed… and life goes back to normal, as he learns to accept change and live with it.
An engrossing book, as it is the story of life that could happen to any of us.
No comments:
Post a Comment