'Saigon, 1930s': a poor young French girl meets the elegant son of a wealthy Chinese family. Soon they are lovers, locked into a private world of passion and intensity that defies all the conventions of their society.A sensational international bestseller, and winner of Frances’ coveted Prix Goncourt, 'The Lover' is disturbing, erotic, masterly. Here is an unforgettable portrayal of the incandescent relationship between the lovers, and of the hate that slowly tears the girl’s family apart.'The Lover' has been made into a major film, directed by Jean-Jacques Annaud and starring Jane March and Tony Leung. An alternative version of the events described in the novel is given in Marguerite Duras’s 'The North China Lover', also published by Flamingo.Rarely have I read a novel so flawlessly writtenSPECTATORVery beautiful, highly intelligent, enjoyable and originalSUNDAY TIMESPerfect, a 'tour de force' … accessible in the way Thomas Mann’s 'Death in Venice' or D.M. Thomas’s 'The White Hotel' are accessible … dealing successfully with the strong themes of erotic love and death.NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW
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