Eating Smoke: One Man's Descent into Drug Psychosis in Hong Kong's Triad Heartland [Paperback]

I discovered Eating Smoke by chance really, after playing Sleeping Dogs I was left with the feeling that I needed to do some more research into Hong Kong and went searching for some books and films that covered the same sort of subject. After doing some searching, Eating Smoke seemed to be one of the few books that would let me explore Hong Kong a bit further, and being intrigued by the description I decided to take a punt on it. I couldn't be happier about that decision!

The story Chris Thrall tell's about his time in Hong Kong might not be one for the faint hearted, but it is wonderfully written piece (which is a real credit to Chris as I believe this was his first book?) that is paced really well, and surprisingly given the subject matter is rather humorous. The book really does read like a wild adventure story, taken you from Chris's time in the Royal Marines and his attempts to make in big in the business world, only to find those dreams shattered when he moves to Hong Kong. What follows as you read about the eclectic mix of jobs he goes through in quick succession can only be described as crazy adventure, and all the time you are getting steadily more attached to Chris Thrall as you watch his life spiral out of control as his drug use steadily gets worse and he starts to loss grip on reality.

The story isn't just about Chris though, it involves an amazing bunch of characters he meets along the way during his time in Hong Kong, between business partners, drug dealing friends, homeless people, Triad doormen, exotic women and fat women singing karaoke. But are they all involved in the grand conspiracy to get crazy "gweilo"? What did Chris do to harm these people? Or is it just all in his head?

This book came to my attention via a much trusted source, a book group on Facebook comprising many respected like minds who all share an interest in Hong Kong. I'm very pleased it did as it could otherwise easily have passed me by.

Chris Thrall's story is far, far from the usual rose-tinted, expat perspective of Hong Kong life. He depicts a Hong Kong many visitors never see, nor even dream might exist - the world behind the bar in Wanchai, the underworld of the omnipotent Triads and the tragic world of the desperate addict. That addict was Chris himself, enslaved within mere weeks to the potent mistress which is crystal methamphetamine. His memoir graphically charts his descent to the rock bottom of this addiction during his 13 month sojourn in Hong Kong.

There were more than a few occasions when I longed for a rather firmer editorial hand on this narrative. Nevertheless, there is no doubt whatsoever that Thrall can write, powerfully and evocatively. There were scores of scenes when I found myself catapulted straight to the noisy, pungent market stall in Mong Kok or the neon-bright canyon of the red light district he was describing. I often marvelled that he was able to remember and reconjure quite so much painterly detail, given that he seemed to be high on drugs for so much of his time there.

He also evokes brilliantly the mad, gold rush atmosphere of those last few years before the Handover in 1997, when legions of gweilos headed for Hong Kong, in the hope of making a fast buck or two. That was Thrall's original ambition. Sadly, the addiction put paid to his dreams of making his millions in the Orient.

Thrall is a former Royal Marine and this book may well appeal rather more to male readers than to wimpy girls like myself. Towards the end, I found myself tiring a little of the details of the drug-induced paranoia and wishing for rather more fascinating vignettes, such as his short spell as a DJ in a mega-club on the Chinese mainland, or his even shorter experience as an English teacher at a Chinese primary school. For me, these were the scenes in which the quality of Thrall's writing really stood out.

Still, the book accurately reflects its graphic sub-title and as such, is a sober and cautionary tale. I would also have appreciated perhaps a little more in the way of an epilogue, giving a few more details of Thrall's eventual recovery. That he managed to recover is testament to an extraordinary strength of character. I look forward to reading more of his writing.

Loose but engaging, great insights into the chaos of consumer crap and some funny turns of phrase. Rambles on a bit when i was maybe expecting hardcore fear and loathing sleaze(!), but i'm only 39% in... it's a young man's journey put down well on pen and paper. Perhaps of more interest to the kind of people that don't always know when to say No, at the end of the night.