Hong Kong Rocks

by Peter Humphreys

Nick Powell, arriving in Hong Kong with his soon-to-be-ex-wife Lennox, finds himself drawn into the political machinations affecting the city as the Occupy movement of 2014 takes root.A fatal accident exposes the factions vying for control of the SAR and gives Nick the second chance desired by many Hong Kong expats. Will he make the most of the opportunity, or find himself on the wrong side of history? Shifting between a variety of unique voices, HONG KONG ROCKS (a Hong Kong Proverse Prize finalist) is part thriller, part creative exploration of the challenges facing a special administrative region punching above its weight."Though rooted in experience and influenced by real-life events, this novel represents an alternative version of Hong Kong’s recent history and takes regular liberties within this parallel world for the benefit of satire. The book was completed after the Occupy protests of 2014 but before the escalation of protests in the territory beginning June 2019, the action taking place in a notional 2018."—Peter Humphreys, Author."Hong Kong Rocks is a story set in an alternative past; in part a whodunit, with the who and the it constantly in doubt. At the centre is a group of dissolute, middle-aged, expatriates, who are held more or less upright, or let fall by surer, stronger, women. Dissolution, however, has its consequences, in conflict with either the newly introduced Deportation Act, or two cross-border goons, or both. And, as the tale reaches its finale, we cannot but agree with the narrator that Hong Kong is 'hotting up'."—Philip Chatting, author of The Snow Bridge and Other Stories, Winner of the Proverse Prize 2014."Funny and twisted, in Humphreys’ spirited novel Nick and a garrulous band of expats are caught in the shifting societal landscape of Hong Kong. Nights drinking at the Brolly, missing friends, the Occupy movement, fear of deportation and the threat of discovery by Chinese agents, all loom large. As his freedom hangs on the edge of a precipice, Nick seizes on the absurdities, secrets and joys of a life lived with regret."—Maria Roberts, author of Single Mother on the Verge, Penguin."Hong Kong Rocks encapsulates the emptiness which grips Hong Kong with refreshing wit and philosophical resignation. Humphreys has successfully created a forlorn atmosphere. A decaying urban lifestyle slowly eats the protagonists away, while entwining their lives."—James Tam, author of Man’s Last Song, Proverse Prize finalist 2011.

240 pages, Paperback

Published October 7, 2019

About the author

Writer of speculative fiction and poetry; editor and podcaster based in Lancaster, UK.

New novel Adrift (2025) sees couple Leighton Tiding and Serena Brinks torn between Covid-ravaged 'broken' Britain and a new life in South America before their lives are upended by an old schoolfriend and the US businessman he tried to kill. Released on Pine Goat, 13 March '25.

Buenos Aires-set 'Justice' longlisted for the BBC National Short Story Award 2021.

Satirical thriller Hong Kong Rocks (Proverse, 2019), shortlisted for the Proverse Prize and released as an audiobook in 2023.

First novel The Blaggard (2004) won the Dawson Jackson Prize. Other novels include Oblivious (2016) and In English (Please!) (2006).

Regular reader at poetry events in northwest England. 'Anti-Algorithm Technique' appeared in Wordarium Journal (2024). More poems in Lancaster Textures (2025).

Co-editor of fiction anthologies Another Hong Kong (2014) and Hong Kong Future Perfect (2016). Short fiction has been published by Comma Press, Cha: An Asian Literary Journal and Far Enough East.

Humorous podcast First Impressions combines conversation with music and beats. Letter-writing podcast Monkey Scribbling with Richard Pye reflected on student days in the 1990s. New for 2024: Pet Projects - interviews with creative types about their beloved animals and latest project.

Reviews

[Ebony Earwig · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one gelled with me due to having met a lot of TFEL English teachers during my brief stint in South Korea. There tended to be two types, the ones who went there to save up money (taking advantages of the high wages, free rent, and not having to pay as much tax) and there's a certain type of person (usually male) who goes there to be a sort of eternal student, sometimes veering into eternal sex tourist, and never wanting to come back home. There's an odd kind of escape from responsibility, because they're elevated easily into a position of crazy privilege. Hong Kong Rocks tells us what might happen if this privilege was rescinded, and becomes an odd comedy thriller with what should unlikeable protagonists; but who all happen to have their own goofy charm. Has a lot of unexpected twists and a very unreliable narrator.

[Amanda Steel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full review can be read here: https://joyzine.org/2021/01/16/book-r...

[Stuart · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great characters and unpredictable storyline set against the expatriate Hong Kong community. Themes of suicide, murder, crime, love and relationships all make this an enjoyable read.

[Eoghan Walls · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hong Kong Rocks is a brilliant comic satire on youth & the need to escape responsibility, tracing the return of Hong Kong to Chinese rule through the panic, privilege & existential desperation of three young expats. It captures the spirit of the city at a historical cusp, but through scenes of high action & high comedy, dramatizing the internal desperation of young men, searching for something but unable to find it – in love, in the ultimate escape of their own death, faked or real; in booze, in adventure, at home, or in Hong Kong. Richly evoked, urgent & giddy, the book is full of angst & drama, funny & historical, but carrying the full philosophical turmoil of the urgent glittery despair of youth.