Pao - Tapa blanda

Against a backdrop of Jamaican history, a likable Chinese-Jamaican runs rackets in this eye-opening, rambunctious debut.... Young leads from the heart (her father served as a model for Pao) to celebrate a resilient world that tourists never see. You'll enjoy the view. "Kirkus Reviews"

"Pao..." confirms Young as a gifted new writer. Her novel is a blindingly good read... both for its mesmeric story-telling and the quality of its prose. "Observer (UK)"

With grace, authenticity and teasing humour, Kerry Young allows the political history of Jamaica to shine through the life story of her charming yet fallible hero. Brilliant. "Daily Mail (UK)""

"Against a backdrop of Jamaican history, a likable Chinese-Jamaican runs rackets in this eye-opening, rambunctious debut.... Young leads from the heart (her father served as a model for Pao) to celebrate a resilient world that tourists never see. You'll enjoy the view." --Kirkus Reviews

"Pao... confirms Young as a gifted new writer. Her novel is a blindingly good read... both for its mesmeric story-telling and the quality of its prose." --Observer (UK)

"With grace, authenticity and teasing humour, Kerry Young allows the political history of Jamaica to shine through the life story of her charming yet fallible hero. Brilliant." --Daily Mail (UK)

As a young boy, Pao comes to Jamaica in the wake of the Chinese Civil War and rises to become the Godfather of Kingston's bustling Chinatown. Pao needs to take care of some dirty business, but he is no Don Corleone. The rackets he runs are small-time, and the protection he provides necessary, given the minority status of the Chinese in Jamaica. Pao, in fact, is a sensitive guy in a wise guy role that doesn't quite fit. Often mystified by all that he must take care of, Pao invariably turns to Sun Tzu's Art of War. The juxtaposition of the weighty, aphoristic words of the ancient Chinese sage, with the tricky criminal and romantic predicaments Pao must negotiate builds the basis of the novel's great charm.
A tale of post-colonial Jamaica from a unique and politically potent perspective, Pao moves from the last days of British rule through periods of unrest at social and economic inequality, through tides of change that will bring about Rastafarianism and the Back to Africa Movement. Pao is an utterly beguiling, unforgettable novel of race, class and creed, love and ambition, and a country in the throes of tumultuous change.
Kerry Young was born in Kingston, Jamaica, to a Chinese-African mother and a Chinese father-a businessman in Kingston's shadow economy who provided inspiration for Pao. Young moved to England in 1965 at the age of ten. She earned her MA in creative writing at Nottingham Trent University. This is her first novel.