Diamond Hill

Diamond Hill is one of those novels that feels as though it completely captures a particular place at a particular time, in this case the eponymous shanty town district of Hong Kong city in the immediate aftermath of Britain's agreement to return the territory to China. While, officially, there is over a decade to go before the handover itself and then a promised fifty years of 'no change', the disparate Diamond Hill residents see their homes being bulldozed in a fervent land grab as rich speculators and developers seek quick fortunes.

Fan manages to convincingly portray this chaotic time through overviews of Diamond Hill itself and also through the eyes of five people on the ground - four women and one man. For me, the most interesting character was the Iron Nun who finds herself stuck in the impossible predicament of having to go against her Buddhist vows in order to protect the ancient Buddhist nunnery she leads. While this woman often comes across as cold and aloof, we are given glimpses behind that facade. Another strong character is Audrey Hepburn, a woman who is happiest in her self-created dreamworld, reliving her youth as an aspiring actress in the then-thriving Hong Kong film industry, but who now scrapes an existence barely above destitution.

I loved the first two-thirds of Diamond Hill which explored this vibrant, yet derelict area and its close-knit community. I could easily envisage the people and places Fan describes and felt invested in their story. Unfortunately I did feel I lost touch with the characters, one especially, towards the end of the book. Their motivations weren't clear to me, leaving me unsure quite why they chose the path they did. However, overall, I very much enjoyed Diamond Hill.