In 1991, Richard Tong came home to a place he'd never been before. Hong Kong. With no money, no experience and absolutely no idea of what awaited, he embarked on a 10-year journey, exploring the alien corners of Asia and discovering the darkest regions of his soul. Acerbic, poignant, witty. Raw like sushi, brutal like Bukowski and dry like the mouth of the Yangtze. The Durian Effect puts the odd in odyssey. It takes you swiftly to the edge of the great cultural divide... and throws you into the abyss.

This new edition of Tong’s first novel has been refreshed, re-edited, re-formatted and re-written, for new and original readers to rediscover.