Ranging from the Welsh valleys to the Malaysian jungle, from Coventry to Natal, the eight stories in this original and elegant collection are filled with unlikely characters and striking juxtapositions. In one story, two infamous American bandits herd ostriches in Patagonia, while, in another, a self-styled John Wayne leads a band of local revolutionaries - the Silver Screen Platoon - in Southeast Asia. In England, a couple of unemployed men wait for Lady Godiva to appear and the pubs to open, while, on the other side of the world, a young Chinese man searches for underwater demons.
Winner of the Mail on Sunday/John Llewellyn Rhys Prize
Winner of Macmillan Silver PEN Award