A couple of years ago I read Marguerite Duras’ The War an unbelievably vivid account of France during WWII-her passage on her husband’s return from Buchenwald is one that I will never forget. For those not familiar with her work Duras was a prolific French post WWII writer famous for her screenplay Hiroshima, Mon Amour (she won an academy award)and her loosely autobiographical work The Lover (winner of the Prix Goncourt).  I read The Lover in my twenties being enchanted and scandalized at once so I was intrigued to read what is considered either the second installment or companion piece to that work.

The North China Lover is about an adolescent’s girl love affair with a wealthy Chinese business man in Indochina (not yet Vietnam).  While covering in essence the same story as The Lover-this account is a grittier version-probably more closely aligned to the events of the actual affair.  There is an immediate sexual attraction which grows into a tempestuous, tender and doomed love.  Duras in her preface said the book could have been called Love in the Street-I would agree.

The Chinese and The Girl are not named in the piece which creates a surprising intimacy with the characters . They are from very different backgrounds and cultures-The Girls’ family has become impoverished due to her father’s death and mother’s bad investment/swindle.  Her older brother is a beast and her younger brother has been so traumatized by the older brother he is somewhat impaired.  The Girl is sent to a girl’s boarding school and really starts the coming of age novel.

Duras continually reminds us of the desperation of both the age, economic circumstances,cultural prejudices and political times. There is a young student that prostitutes herself so that she can save money to have a house and find security. The love story itself has passion, tenderness and loathing.  At one point the girl is concerned that the Chinese will kill her to get over his feelings for her.  The Chinese is betrothed to another Chinese woman of similar wealth.  As would be expected the two lovers part.

While the story is compelling and the writing superb what really sets the book apart is Duras inclusion of cinematic direction in the novel.  She assists the reader in framing their view and adds an additional visual layer to the book.