A radiant novel about family, desire and what we inherit, and the longing that blooms between two boys over the course of one summer
The Harmony Silk Factory
Written by Tash Aw
- Longlisted
- The Man Booker Prize 2005
- Published by 4th Estate
Buy the book
Tash Aw’s acclaimed first novel is a multi-layered story of love and regret set against the turmoil of mid-20th century Malaysia
The Harmony Silk Factory is 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. A journey that four people take into the jungle has a devastating effect on all of them, and brilliantly exposes the cultural tensions of the era. The story revolves around an anti-hero called Johnny Lim - a salesman, a fraudster, possibly a murderer - whose life is narrated by three different people, with contradictory perspectives.
Tash Aw
Born in Taiwan, Tash Aw is the author of five novels, three of which have been longlisted for the Booker Prize
More about Tash Aw Other nominated books by Tash Aw
Tash Aw’s kaleidoscopic novel about the overlapping lives of five ambitious newcomers to China’s most dynamic city