RARE EARTH

A first novel set in contemporary China by the BBC's Newsnight economics editor, Paul Mason (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/correspondents/paulmason/). It features a Christopher Hitchens-like expatriate Englishman as its protagonist; a brilliant, if self-important and alcoholic, English journalist who thinks he knows much more about China than he does. At book's end, he leaves the country satisfied he's solved the issues of corruption he came to confront - while we readers know he was totally misled.

A worthwhile read in the tradition of Evelyn Waugh (albeit not as cynical).