This book was denounced by Communist China when it was first
written and published, and then promptly banned. The publisher was
fired and the writer went into exile.
The book chronicles the time when the writer's marriage falls to
pieces. In a stupour, he decides to go to Tibet to look at the
spiritual side of things, hoping to find himself and cleanse
himself spiritually.
However, what he finds there is dehumanising, corrupt, and
terrible. The harsh realities of Tibet is nothing like what we see
or envision. The Chinese takeover of Tibet has very quickly turned
it into a place where the grime and corruption of modern life has
hit Lhasa hard.
It is a look at the destruction of a civilisation through the eyes
of a man who has stripped it down to the bare minimum. And it is a
compelling read which calls out and demands to be read, if only as
a document to bear witness to the events.
Highly recommended. 4 out of 5