Summer of the Three Pagodas
An exotic tale with an exotic title, but don’t be disappointed that there are no pagodas, not even one. It is set in Hong Kong and Korea during the Korean war of the 1950s. The Korean side of the story is much the stronger, a tragic tale of courage, endurance and loss as a group of fugitives flee the North Korean advance. The Hong Kong side is less credible and depends heavily on a backstory which is never fully explained. It centres on intimidation by a mysterious Chinese gangster, but I feel it is all resolved far too easily.
The central character, a woman doctor who works in a refugee centre, is sympathetic and well-drawn. Her adventures in Korea are more dramatic than her love life in Hong Kong, but after all her trials and tragedies, who would begrudge her a happy ending?
