The Orientalist and the Ghost by Susan Barker
Dark themes of colonial misconduct, racial prejudice, and doomed love resonate throughout this novel, yet it is infused with characteristic humour and warmth. It opens in Malaysia during the 1950s Communist insurrection when a young Englishman, Christopher, falls in love with a Chinese girl. The book then moves to 1969 where Frances, Christopher's Eurasian teenage daughter, is seduced by a Chinese teacher twice her age and drawn into the Malay-Chinese race riots in Kuala Lumpur. The final part of the book travels to 1980s London: Frances' two mixed-race children live with their grandfather on a council estate, and embark on a quest to discover the truth behind their mother's death.
Susan Barker was born in 1978 to a Malaysian mother and an English father. She graduated from Leeds University and taught English in Japan for two years before returning to the UK. She has recently been invited to the prestigious Creative Writing School in Yaddo, NY. Her first novel, Sayonara Bar was shortlisted for the Author's Club First Novel prize and longlisted for the Dylan Thomas Prize.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780385609807 |
| ISBN 10 | 0385609809 |
| Title | The Orientalist and the Ghost |
| Author | Susan Barker |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Transworld Publishers Ltd |
| Year published | 2008-04-08 |
| Number of pages | 352 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |