The Unbearable Dreamworld of Champa the Driver

(Paperback)

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A humorous literary novel of modern China by the author of the international Dystopian novel The Fat Years. For fans of THE HEN THAT DRAMED SHE COULD FLY and THE GUEST CAT. SEX, LIES, AND ROCKY ROADS . Life is simple for Champa. He has a good job as a chauffeur in his hometown of Lhasa, and if his Chinese boss Plum is a little domineering, well, he can understand that - she's a serious art-collector after all. And he does get to drive her huge Toyota. When he starts to sleep with his boss as well as drive her around, life becomes a whole lot more complicated. But not in a bad way. Suddenly Champa's sex life is beyond his wildest dreams. But then Plum brings home a Tara statue - a statue that shines with exquisite feminine beauty - and suddenly life is not simple at all, as Champa finds himself on the long road to Beijing in search of its inspiration . THE UNBEARABLE DREAMWORLD OF CHAMPA THE DRIVER is a rollicking road novel brim-ful of sensuality and danger. Underlying the optimism and humour of its hero is a darker picture of racism and rough justice in modern Beijing.

Reviews

'The Han Chinese presence in Tibet hovers in the background like a Himalayan mist ... captures something true and fresh about modern China * Independent *
A fast-paced read, bold and brassy, at times super-sensitive and insightful, with cheeky asides and a raw honesty that will make readers laugh out loud. * South China Morning Post *
Manages to turn often comic human relationships into an unsettling metaphor for China's political and cultural domination of Tibet. * Asia Times *

Author Bio

Chan Koonchung was born in Shanghai and raised in Hong Kong. His first novel, the dystopian THE FAT YEARS ('An all-encompassing metaphor for today's looming superpower' Observer) was highly acclaimed and published in thirteen territories. Chan Koonchung lives in Beijing.