_______________ 'McInerney is one of the most gifted writers of his generation ... whatever he does makes fascinating reading' - Observer 'Ransom is cleverly written, intelligent, lively, concise and humorous. And it gives the reader that final buzz - it's serious' - Guardian 'Witty, acerbic and buoyed by observational gifts, McInerney's writing is never less than deft' - Financial Times ______________ From the bestselling author of Story of My Life, Brightness Falls and How It Ended comes Jay McInerney's novel of exile ... Living in Kyoto, the ancient capital of Japan, Christopher Ransom seeks a purity and simplicity he could not find at home, and tries to exorcise the terror he encountered earlier in his travels - a blur of violence and death at the Khyber Pass. Supporting himself by teaching English to eager Japanese businessmen, Ransom feels safe amongst his fellow expatriates. But soon he is threatened by everything he thought he had left behind, in a sequence of bizarre events whose consequences he cannot escape ... ______________ 'McInerney has a sure hand with narrative, a sharp but forgiving eye for human frailty and a considerable gift for deadpan comedy that kids the things he loves ... a superb and humane social critic' - Newsweek