Road

by Austin Coates

Set in 1950s Hong Kong, The Road paints an evocative picture of comfortable colonial life, while at the same time presenting the local people with the shrewd understanding that the author had acquired as a District Officer in rural Hong Kong. Perhaps the central character is the road itself, now easily recognized as the very real Lantau coast road. But in this novel, the road was an idea tossed off by the Acting Governor between cocktails in the course of a launch picnic. To Richard, the District Officer, the road was a challenge, something of his own to be achieved; an achievement, furthermore, that would spell progress for the Chinese villagers. To Richard’s wife Sylvia, an intelligent woman notorious for an ancient affair which she had publicized in a best-selling novel, the road was a new threat to a marriage already riven with complexities. To the island’s villagers, who did not want the road or the changes it would bring, it was the end of a way of life and further evidence that the foreign devils were quite mad. And to the villagers’ more worldly kin, the road was a god-sent invitation to graft.

Paperback

First published March 1, 2009

Reviews

[Jack · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting story of a society now changed.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fantastic story of old Hong Kong, long before talks of the handover or even the 1967 riots. This takes place in the late 50s and centers around the district officer of one of the outlying island (Lantau, even though it’s not mentioned) and how he becomes inspires to build a road on the island after someone else mentions it on a launch (boat) outing one day. Richard, the district officer, is a British civil servant who has been in Hong Kong for years and views himself as a China expert. The only caveat is that the villagers don’t want or need a road. Richard’s wife Sylvia is a renowned author, most known for her scandalous novel about the wife of a British civil servant who has an affair with an Indian attaché. The novel, as everyone in Hong Kong knows, is based on real life. Richard and Sylvia have an open marriage, although that is not well-known or even known at all. Richard’s affairs are commonplace in Hong Kong, as polygamy was still legal then for Chinese residents in HK. So it wasn’t an oddity when British colonialists acted the same. When Sylvia did, of course it became scandalous. The story is mainly about their relationship, but also about the inner workings of Hong Kong back then. I have it four stars instead of five because the end dragged on a bit after the road was completed. The side stories could have been completed around that time, too, rather than taking another 75 pages to wrap up. Still, I really enjoyed the story and the scenes of old Hong Kong. The author shows how out of touch the colonialists were back then and how people like Sylvia, who could speak Mandarin (not spoken in HK then) at least tried to understand and made a point to immerse herself in Hong Kong.