Britská autorka Susan Barker se ve své tvorbě ponořila do složitých kulturních střetů a historických vrstev. Její próza mistrně propojuje soudobé postřehy s hlubokými historickými vyprávěními, často zasazenými do kontrastních prostředí. Barker zkoumá témata identity a střetávání kultur s citem pro detail a originálním stylistickým rukopisem. Její dílo čtenáře vtáhne do bohatě vykreslených světů plných nečekaných zvratů a pronikavých pozorování.
A thrilling journey through a millennium of obsession and betrayal, "The Incarnations" follows taxi driver Wang in Beijing as he discovers letters revealing his past lives. Each letter connects him to historical events and figures, highlighting the cyclical nature of history and humanity's repeated mistakes.
Malaya 1951, a jungle resettlement camp: young colonial adventurer Christopher Milnar falls passionately in love with a Chinese nurse Evangeline - a fierce flame that ends in tragedy when their camp is attacked by Communist guerrillas and Christopher is violently beaten up.
I dream of us across the centuries, my love ... I dream of Sorceress Wu splattering the walls with your blood. I dream of Genghis Khan and his Mongols, driving us with whips across the desert. I dream of the sickly Emperor Jiajing and our fellow tortured concubines. I dream of you kneeling before your captors in the Opium Wars, ready for death. I dream of you and me as Red Guards in the Cultural Revolution, our banners held high. The times we were friends, the times we were lovers and the times we wanted to kill each other.... Now I dream of you again, Driver Wang. You don't know it yet, but soon I will make you dream of me.
Mary, a blond graduate from England, has drifted into a job in a hostess lounge in Osaka. She and other 'economy gelshas' are employed by the enigmatic Mama san to spend their evenings flirting with rich Japanese salarymen, playing drinking games and taking turns in the karaoke booth. Mary is in love with Yuji, Mama san's handsome son. But Yuji's loyalty is to the petty Yakuza gangster for whom he works. Watanabe, the introverted cook, watches Mary from the Sayonara Bar's kitchen. He exists in his own manga-fuelled fantasy of the fourth dimension, and believes he can see into other people's souls, as well as into the gurgling viscera of their bodies. When he perceives the danger of Mary's growing obsession with Yuji, he resolves to protect her whatever the cost. Mr Sato works for the Daiwa Trading Corporation. Obsessive overwork cannot cover the emptiness of his solitary life. Lured against his will to the Sayonara Bar by his boss, he finds himself returning there to escape his dead wife's ghost. Edgy, sly, and often very funny, Sayonara Bar spins a kaleidoscopic, genre-crossing tale of people cut adrift in a shrinking, globalized world.
The narrative follows two grieving individuals, Jake and Mariko, who uncover a chilling connection between their loved ones' mysterious deaths linked to an enigmatic woman who never ages or stays in one place. As they delve into a haunting investigation that spans continents and centuries, they confront the unsettling truths surrounding the woman's dark influence. With each revelation, the story explores themes of loss, guilt, and the nature of the supernatural, leading to a gripping quest to uncover her true identity and purpose.