Books like The ballad of a small player by Lawrence Osborne
The Ballad of a Small Player follows Lord Doyle, a corrupt English lawyer who has fled to Macau to evade prosecution. Each night he immerses himself in the city’s casino scene, betting on baccarat while nursing a traumatic past and a love for excess. His fortunes rise and fall at the tables, and he seeks solace in haunted hotels. A turning point comes when he meets Dao‑Ming, an enigmatic Chinese woman also drawn to the casinos. She offers him not only financial salvation but the promise of genuine connection, yet as Doyle tries to grasp this new reality, he finds his life slipping away.
Set against the backdrop of Macau’s glittering casinos, the novel explores themes of fugitive guilt, the allure of gambling, and the fragile nature of hope.
First publish date: 2014
Genre: Literary Fiction/Contemporary Literary Fiction
Authors: Lawrence Osborne
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