Grove Press
Grove Press
Grove Press
“A sparse, fragmented style which sometimes resembles the gliding, poetic prose of Marguerite Duras . . . The author’s real talent is to lay bare the narrator’s heart, his confused, wounded craving for someone he can never possess.” –Evelyn Lau, The Village Voice Literary Supplement
Like a Welsh Am”lie set in a pub, Gold is a tender, nderstated tale of love, loss, and growing up. It is also vintage Dan Rhodes, one of the most critically beloved novelists working today.
Miyuki Woodward, lover of beer and microwaveable food, has been taking a two-week vacation–away from her companion–to the same seaside town in Wales for the last eight years. She is made to feel at home at the salty seaside pub, where Short Mr. Hughes, Tall Mr. Hughes, and Mr. Puw are happy to add her to their trivia-contest team. This year, following an impulsive artistic act involving gold spray paint, Miyuki will take part in the most turbulent events the village has seen since Tall Mr. Hughes returned from the pub toilet without remembering to button up.
Gold is a bittersweet, idiosyncratic, funny affirmation of life and a touchingly satisfying story rich in pathos, insight, and asides from the best-selling author of Timoleon Vieta Come Home and Anthropology.
‘searing, lushly written . . . stylishly explores the shifting boundaries between sex and commerce, East and West, culture and identity . . . erotic, imagistic prose.” –Entertainment Weekly
‘set in present-day Bangkok, Lawrence Chua’s mean, lean Gold by the Inch unfolds in a rush of edgy, brilliant images and dances on the dark side of love, loss, sexual passion, cultural conflict, and hard commerce.” –Jessica Hagedorn, author of Dogeaters and The Gangster of Love
“A sparse, fragmented style which sometimes resembles the gliding, poetic prose of Marguerite Duras . . . The author’s real talent is to lay bare the narrator’s heart, his confused, wounded craving for someone he can never possess.” –Evelyn Lau, The Village Voice Literary Supplement
“Lawrence Chua’s first novel is told with a voice reminiscent of Sylvia Plath–mean in rhythm, urgent in imagery. . . . A narrative that’s as unpredictable as it is engaging. . . . Because his prose soars, so do his stories.” –Soyon Im, Seattle Weekly
“This first novel by journalist Chua updates the time-honored themes of empire and eroticism. . . .
Chua’s prose is sensuous, often feverish, studded with vivid images.” –Publishers Weekly
“In all his books, there beats a heart so sweet that to encounter it can be painful; this hones even further the razor edges of the moments of heartbreak when they come. . . . Absolutely flawless comic writing . . . Stylistically, it’s as clear as vodka, straightforward and suggestive. . . . Dylan Thomas described Under Milk Wood as “a green-leaved sermon on the innocence of men” and that also neatly sums up Gold. It’s original, fresh, and funny.” –The Observer
“Both hilarious and affecting, perhaps even profound. His is a special and distinctive talent. 5 stars.” –The Independent
An Independent Literary Publisher Since 1917
