Ultimate China Bookshelf #53: The Ballad of a Small Player

His name: Lord Doyle. His plan: to gamble away his last days in the dark decadent casinos of Macau. His Game: baccarat punto blanco — ‘that slutty dirty queen of casino card games.’ Published in 2014.

A modern Graham Greene... into this relatively quiet period for British fiction, someone remarkable and unexpected has emerged fully armed with a formidable, masterly grip on the British novel. At precisely the point where most novelists start to show signs of flagging, Osborne has hit his creative, fictional stride... and has arrived as a thrilling, exceptional talent in British fiction's landscape. — Sunday Times

A searing portrait of addiction and despair set in the glittering world of Macau’s casinos... the novel’s energetic portrait of the highs and lows of a gambler’s fortunes are as good as anything in the literature of addiction. Osborne’s intriguing Chinese milieu and exquisite prose mark this work as a standout. — Publisher's Weekly

The beauty of this novel is in the elegance and precision of its prose, which renders the glaring kitsch of Macau into a series of exquisite miniatures, and draws on Osborne's reserves as a travel writer. — The Guardian

With its ex-pat angst and debauched air of moral ambiguity set amid the sinister demi-monde of the Far East’s corrupt gambling dens, Osborne’s darkly introspective study of decline and decay conjures apt comparisons to Paul Bowles, Graham Greene, and V. S. Naipaul. — Booklist

Author Bio:

Born in England, Lawrence Osborne is the author of the critically acclaimed novels set in atmospheric locales: The Forgiven (Morocco), Hunters in the Dark (Phnom Penh), Beautiful Animals (Hydra), and The Glass Kingdom (Bangkok). He also wrote one of the first novels to be set during the Hong Kong protests, On Java Road. In 2022, The Forgiven was adapted as a movie in 202, starring Ralph Fiennes, Matt Smith and Jessica Chastain. Raymond Chandler’s literary estate commissioned him to write Only to Sleep, a new Philip Marlowe novel. His non-fiction ranges from memoir through travelogue to essay, including Bangkok Days, The Naked Tourist and The Wet and the Dry. His most recent book is a collection of short stories, including one set in Hong Kong, entitled Burning Angel and other Stories. Osborne lives in Bangkok.

The Book in 150 words: