Not such exciting times
- Book: Exciting Times
- Location: Hong Kong
- Author: Naoise Dolan
‘Droll, shrewd and unafraid’
‘Fiercely intelligent, brutally funny’
‘A modern love story … astute, sardonic and highly emotionally aware’
‘The book of the summer’
‘Exciting Times’ has been flagged as a stellar debut novel from young Irish author Naoise Dolan, and even offered up as something to fill the gaping hole left by Sally Rooney’s extraordinarily successful ‘Normal People’.
In the humble opinion of this reader…it isn’t, and it doesn’t.
Ava is whip-smart, funny, acerbic and working as a TEFL teacher in Hong Kong. She has a sexual, loveless relationship of convenience with expat banker Julian. While he’s working away, Ava has a sexual, more loving relationship with local lawyer Edith Zhang Mei Ling. Should she move to Frankfurt with Julian, or stay in Hong Kong with Edith? The end.
Ok, so that’s probably a little harsh. The story has additional layers and the use of language is clever and witty, though too often also cynical and cruel:
‘That night I spent longer than usual pretending not to want him in ways that made it obvious I did. It wasn’t as much fun as I usually found it, or as satisfying as I knew slicing a machete through a row of his shirts would be, but I enjoyed the clarity of the exercise.’
For lovers of TripFiction, the Hong Kong setting may provide some additional welcome colour:
‘A few metres down from the Shanghai Commercial Bank was a Yun Fat Pawn Shop. It was part of a chain. I’d seen another in Wan Chai. There were no windows, but you could see blurred colours through the frosted glass door. At the top of Pennington Street we crossed the China Congregational Church and a dwarfing Armani billboard. We waited at the lights, then marched forward with the crowd onto Leighton Road.’
I have no idea how autobiographical this novel is, but the author certainly succeeeds in transporting the reader to Hong Kong.
But sadly the times spent there in Ava’s company aren’t that exciting.
Please wait...
