Hong Kong Rocks

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Nick Powell, arriving in Hong Kong with his soon-to-be-ex-wife Lennox, finds himself drawn into the political machinations affecting the city as the Occupy movement of 2014 takes root.

A fatal accident exposes the factions vying for control of the SAR and gives Nick the second chance desired by many Hong Kong expats. Will he make the most of the opportunity, or find himself on the wrong side of history?

Shifting between a variety of unique voices, HONG KONG ROCKS is part thriller, part creative exploration of the challenges facing a special administrative region punching above its weight. 

Though rooted in experience and influenced by real-life events, this novel represents an alternative version of Hong Kong’s recent history and takes regular liberties within this parallel world for the benefit of satire. The book was completed after the Occupy protests of 2014 but before the escalation of protests in the territory beginning June 2019, the action taking place in a notional 2018.

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“Hong Kong Rocks is a story set in an alternative past; it is in part a whodunit, with the who and the it constantly in doubt. At the centre is a group of dissolute, middle-aged, expatriates, held more or less upright, or let fall by surer, stronger, women. Dissolution, however, has its consequences, in conflict with either the newly introduced Deportation Act, or two cross-border goons, or both. As the tale reaches its finale, we cannot but agree with the narrator that Hong Kong is ‘hotting up’.”

—Philip Chatting, author of The Snow Bridge and Other Stories, Winner of the International Proverse Prize 2014.

“Funny and twisted, in Humphreys’ spirited novel, Nick and a garrulous band of expats are caught in the shifting societal landscape of Hong Kong. Nights drinking at the Brolly, missing friends, the Occupy movement, fear of deportation and the threat of discovery by Chinese agents, all loom large. As his freedom hangs on the edge of a precipice, Nick seizes on the absurdities, secrets and joys of a life lived with regret.”

—Maria Roberts, author of Single Mother on the Verge, Penguin.

“Hong Kong Rocks encapsulates the emptiness which grips Hong Kong with refreshing wit and philosophical resignation. Humphreys has successfully created a forlorn atmosphere. A decaying urban lifestyle slowly eats the protagonists away, while entwining their lives.”

—James Tam, author of Man’s Last Song, International Proverse Prize finalist 2011.