Timothy Mo, Sour Sweet

Elaine Ho (University of Hong Kong)

Ed. by John Thieme, University of East Anglia
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.09: English Writing and Culture: Postwar and Contemporary Britain , 1945-present.
Vol. editors: Gina Lyle (University of Glasgow), Graham MacPhee (University of Manchester), Kerry Myler (Birmingham Newman University), Jenni Ramone (The Nottingham Trent University)

Dates

First circulation or publication 1982

Places

Hong Kong (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Novel

Resources

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Published in 1982,

Sour Sweet

is Timothy Mo’s second novel. Set in London’s Chinatown during the 1960s, it follows the adventures of the Chen family, immigrants from Hong Kong. The novel consists of 36 chapters which fall into 3 parts: Chapters 1 to 10 introduce the main characters – Chen, his wife Lily, their young son, Man Kee, and Lily’s sister, Mui – and narrate their origins and immigrant way of life in the early days of their arrival; Chapters 11 to 22 shows the growth of the family and its adaptation to new life in Britain. The remaining 14 chapters are concerned with the breaking up and reconstitution of the family, leading to the denouement of Chen’s disappearance, Mui’s marriage and her subsequent departure. Woven into this family saga is the narrative of the…

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916 words

Citation: Ho, Elaine. "Sour Sweet". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 13 February 2004 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=1927, accessed 20 April 2024.]

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