Play Book Tag discussion

Christopher Banks grows up in Shanghai with his English parents in the early 20th century. After the death and/or disappearance of his parents, he returns to England and follows an extremely privileged path. Eventually becoming a famous detective.

He returns to Shanghai in 1937 in the midst of both the Japanese invasion of China and the Nationalist vs Communist civil war. With the beginnings of WWII just gearing up. He returns after becoming convinced his parents are still alive after all these years and he's going to "solve the case".

As a narrator, Christopher is shockingly unreliable. In fact, he's so un-self-aware and so clueless, I doubt that he's even a real detective. And aside from his triumphant return to Shanghai to solve the 20-year-old case surrounding his parents, we see no evidence of any actual detective work in the book.

I enjoyed the book but really disliked the protagonist. He was sympathetic as a young man, but completely intolerable as an adult.

And the second interlude in Shanghai is so odd it's almost surreal. At that point Christopher almost becomes a caricature of the ugly, entitled westerner running amok in China.

I've enjoyed other books from this author, but this wasn't his best.