Fiction > Asian Fiction

A bestseller in South Korea in 1991, where it was serialized in that country's largest newspaper, "Little Pilgrim is a tale of adventure and self-discovery in the tradition of Hermann Hesse's "Siddhartha. Based on the Gandavyuha, Buddhism's deepest and most challenging scripture, Ko Un's "Little Pilgrim relates the heroic journey of Sudhana, who sets out to discover what truth is. Throughout 20 years of fantastic travels, Sudhana encounters teachers that are human, animal, and spirit as he navigates mountain vistas, lush valleys, a... read more

Stunning debut from an enormously talented young writer with an entirely original voice. This masterful novel transports us to Malaysia circa 1980, as the prosperous Rajasekharan family of Big House, Ipoh, slowly peels away its closely guarded secrets.

It is 1875, and at Chai Mansion, two babies are born just months apart. As first grandson of Master Chai, Mingzhi's life is already mapped out. Like his grandfather, an opium farmer and feudal landlord, he is destined to inherit wealth and power. His younger brother, Mingyuan, is not so lucky. As second grandson, his fate is to remain forever in his brother's shadow. As the two boys grow, so too do their differences and as Mingzhi seeks to escape the corruption of the mansion through learning, Mingyuan falls under the spell o... read more

Set in Malaysia in the 1930s and 40s, with the rumbling of the Second World War in the background and the Japanese about to invade, The Harmony Silk Factory is the story of four people: Johnny, an infamous Chinaman – a salesman, a fraudster, possibly a murderer – whose shop house, The Harmony Silk Factory, he uses as a front for his illegal businesses; Snow Soong, the beautiful daughter of one of the Kinta Valley’s most prominent families, who dies giving birth to one of the novel’s narrators; Kunichika, a Japanese officer who love... read more

This is the semi-autobiographical account of a soldier's experiences. The hero of the story, Kien, is a captain. After 10 years of war and months as a MIA body-collector, Kien suffers a nervous breakdown in Hanoi as he tries to re-establish a relationship with his former sweetheart.

A brilliant novel (now being translated into many languages around the world for simultaneous publication in 2005) from a genuinely exciting new voice in fiction. A novel for anyone who enjoyed The English Patient. Set in Malaysia in the 1930s and '40s, with the rumbling of World War II in the background, and the Japanese about to invade, The Harmony Silk Factory is the story of four people. Johnny is an infamous Chinaman - a salesman, a fraudster, possibly a murderer - whose shop house, The Harmony Silk Factory, he uses as a fron... read more