by Paul Theroux
First published 2008
Three decades after writing The Great Railway Bazaar, Paul Theroux embarks on another epic train journey across Asia to witness how dramatically the world has transformed. His approach combines immersive travel with sharp cultural observation as he moves through regions reshaped by history. Theroux travels as locals do, taking cramped trains, unreliable buses, and unofficial taxis from Eastern Europe through Turkey, the Caucasus, Central Asia, India, China, Japan, and Siberia. He documents the collapse of the Soviet Union, China's meteoric rise, India's economic boom, and Burma's descent under military rule. The author encounters literary figures like Nobel Prize winner Orhan Pamuk and survives a marathon drinking session aboard the Trans-Siberian Railroad. His journey reveals a world where former communist nations struggle with hangovers from their past, oil wealth transforms Azerbaijan while neighboring Georgia slides toward feudalism, and Vietnam thrives despite the destruction America left behind. The book offers readers Theroux's keen eye for the textures of daily life, his encounters with ordinary people navigating extraordinary changes, and his ability to capture the sounds, smells, and rhythms of a rapidly evolving continent.
Genres: literary-fiction, historical-fiction, travel, adventure, biography-memoir, asian-american
Vibes: atmospheric, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, travel
Setting: Eastern Europe, Turkey, Caucasus, Central Asia, India, China, Japan, Siberia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Vietnam
Period: 20th Century, 21st Century, Soviet Union, Post-Soviet Era
496 pages · Hardcover · Houghton Mifflin