Content levels
Trigger warnings
Positive tags
Hero archetypes
Heroine archetypes
Protagonist archetypes
Themes
Synopsis
Chinese Opera is a dark and dazzling novel set in an all too plausible New Zealand of the near future. 'Little Frank' is 120 years old and he's lost his mind - or the part that can put damaged memories back together. Once the gang boss of 'The Place', he's traded his imagination for secure long life. Trapped in a luxurious present of mindless routine, he's jolted awake in 2090 to the bizarre facts of his world: his obsession with the female lead at the Chinese Opera, his unsavoury liaison with the Binh Xuyen body-part pirates, their surveillance of his movements. Above all, his lost memory of the moment in a pine-scented limo when he traded his imagination for long life. To rebuild this memory, Little Frank has to abandon longevity. Will he recover the truth before he Times Out? Will he have time to understand his obsession with the singer Madame Hee? What happened to the young mother who abandoned him? This provocative novel touches on many current hot topics including plastic surgery, designer drugs and artificial extension of human life; the environment and water rights; immigration into NZ especially from Asia. These and other concerns form the arresting backdrop to Little Frank's story of belonging, longing, dislocation and memory.
Chinese Opera: content & age rating
Intended for adult readers (18+).
This dark dystopian novel contains mature themes including body-part piracy, memory manipulation, obsession, and a morally compromised former gang boss protagonist navigating a corrupt future society.
What to know going in
This book has moderate violence, moderate sexual content, and moderate language. Content notes include body horror, organized crime, and amnesia (see the full list above).
Who'll love this
Adult readers interested in literary speculative fiction will engage with the noir-tinged mystery of a 120-year-old man trying to recover his stolen memories.