Shanghai Baby

I should start by saying I am not the target audience for this, and also by recording my surprise that this was a banned book in China. Why was is banned? For its self-indulgence?

Although already announced in the blurb on the back as semi-autobiographical, it is a pretty thin veil being cast over the author, who clearly is for a large part the main character.

Pretty author, nicknamed Coco (after Coco Chanel) who everybody fawns over, quits her job as a waitress to live with artist boyfriend and concentrate on writing her novel. Artist boyfriend is reclusive, impotent and spiralling downwards with drug abuse. Pretty author hooks up with German man who cheats on his wife to have sex with Coco, which she keeps from her boyfriend to ‘protect' him.
It comes across an immature story, narcissistic and self-indulgent and pretty weak. This could have a lot to do with the translation - who would know. Undoubtedly made more popular for being banned.

Two stars.