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Most of us know that there is a booming sex trade in the Far East; tales of Bangkok and other cities have been in the news for quite a while. Eric Stone, in his first novel, takes us behind the scenes in Hong Kong and Macau, with forays into the South China Sea and Vladivostok. It is not a pleasant journey. Ray Sharp is a journalist in Hong Kong with some fairly low-grade vices. He likes to wander in Macau, "stop for an expresso here, a cup of tea there, a Chinese snack or a long, wine-soaked Portuguese lunch." Sharp also enjoys the nightlife, which "runs from silly to sordid." He has a sort of girlfriend in Jakarta, who used to be a contract Russian prostitute. They don't see as much of each other as they'd like, and their relationship is very open -- honest but open. One of Sharp's colleagues asks him for a favor. It seems that the colleague has a brother, a very wealthy British lawyer, who has made the tragic mistake of falling in love with one of the Russian hookers. He wants to buy out her contract and marry her, but the Mafioso known as The Roman owns her contract and refuses to sell it. Something to do with honor and machismo and all like that. Plus he's just a nasty kind of guy. In the process of trying to get Marta out of her contract, Sharp develops a relationship with Sasha, another prostitute. They start out with money changing hands so that Sasha can spend time with Sharp and he can get his questions answered. Sex is part of the deal, but a friendship grows. Sharp manages to irritate The Roman, and Sasha disappears. Sharp pursues her, and Marta, to places where most of us would never want to go. There is a house on an island in the South China Sea; women who get sent there never come back. Sharp goes, sees more than he bargained for, and manages to get back to Macau alive. Then he heads to Vladivostok, where again he gets in over his head and manages to survive. THE LIVING ROOM OF THE DEAD reminded me a great deal of Andrew Vachss's books. Stone delves into the sordid side of human nature, the sleazy and degrading side that most of us will never have the misfortune to encounter up close and personal. Stone writes a story that is very difficult to put down, even when the text is unpleasant. He says the story "is loosely based on real events. The basic details of the ill-fated love affair between Ed and Marta are true, as are the descriptions of many of the places where the story unfolds." I certainly would not want to be Stone's research assistant! This is not a book for the faint of heart or the queasy of stomach. If fem-jep turns you off, don't read this. On the other hand, if you have a fondness for the Don Quixotes of the world and don't mind some pretty ugly situations, THE LIVING ROOM OF THE DEAD might be just what you're looking for. I can't say that the ending is an uplifting paean to the triumph of good over evil, but it is a realistic ending to a story that was both very difficult to read in terms of content and a real pleasure to read in terms of writing quality.
Reviewed by P. J. Coldren, December 2005
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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