Pao [electronic resource]
Young, Kerry2011
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SHORTLISTED FOR THE COSTA FIRST NOVEL AWARD
I was just a boy when I come to Jamaica.
Kingston, 1938. Fourteen-year-old Yang Pao steps off the ship from China with his mother and brother, after his father has died fighting for the revolution. They are to live with Zhang, the 'godfather' of Chinatown, who mesmerises Pao with stories of glorious Chinese socialism on one hand, and the reality of his protection business on the other.
When Pao takes over the family's affairs he becomes a powerful man. He sets his sights on marrying well, but when Gloria Campbell, a black prostitute, comes to him for help he is drawn to her beauty and strength. They begin a relationship that continues even after Pao marries Fay Wong, the 'acceptable' but headstrong daughter of a wealthy Chinese merchant.
As the political violence escalates in the 1960s the lines between Pao's socialist ideals and private ambitions become blurred. Jamaica is transforming, the tides of change are rising, and the one-time boss of Chinatown finds himself cast adrift. Richly imagined and utterly captivating, Pao is a dazzling tale of race, class and colour, love and ambition, and a country at a historical crossroads.
Main title:
Pao [electronic resource] / Kerry Young
Author:
Young, Kerry, Author
Imprint:
[Place of publication not identified] : Bloomsbury Publishing, 2011
Collation:
1 online resource (1 text file)
Biography/History:
Kerry Young was born in Kingston, Jamaica, to a Chinese father and a mother of mixed Chinese-African heritage. She moved to England in 1965 and lives in Leicestershire. Kerry is a Reader for The Literary Consultancy and a tutor for the Arvon Foundation. She is also Honorary Assistant Professor in the School of English at The University of Nottingham and Honorary Creative Writing Fellow at the University of Leicester. She was writer-in-residence at The University of Sheffield (2014-2016) as a part of the Royal Literary Fund Fellowship Programme.
Kerryyoung.co.uk
ISBN:
9781408817841
Language:
English
Subject:
BRN:
2307381