The Art of Escalator Jumping
Description
Runner-up for the inaugural Saphira Prize for unpublished writing
A chance encounter on the Mid-levels Escalator in Hong Kong tips a young woman into an unexpected romanceâ€ï¿½
Octavia Chan is a reserved Eurasian woman who has a hard time standing up to her mother. Joan is driven, controlling andâ€"for a 26-year-old back under her mother’s roofâ€"incredibly frustrating. Octavia has recently returned to Hong Kong to reconnect with her mother when she meets Cal, an impulsive American with enthusiasm to burn.
The Escalator brings Cal and Octavia together like a mechanical sprite. But then Joan’s tight control begins to unravel. Rather than working for a better relationship with her mother, Octavia finds herself fighting for Joan’s sanity. Enlisting the aid of a tough psychologist-turned-lawyer, a Hong Kong socialite, and a helper with a secret, Octavia must use her own kind of strength to help her mother.
But a storm is brewing in Hong Kong, and Joan has a secret too.
˃˃˃ An unconventional origin story...
This novel was published in front of a live audience at the Foreign Correspondents' Club in Hong Kong in November 2013.
Read the only love story set almost entirely on and around an escalator!
