The Ballad of a Small Player - by Lawrence Osborne (Paperback)

About the Book

"As night falls on Macau and the neon signs that line the rain-slick streets come alive, Doyle - "Lord Doyle" to his fellow players - descends into his casino of choice to try his luck at the baccarat tables that are the anchor of his current existence. A corrupt English lawyer who has escaped prosecution by fleeing to the East, Doyle spends his nights drinking and gambling and his days sleeping off his excesses, continually haunted by his past. Taking refuge in a series of louche and dimly lit hotels, he watches his fortune rise and fall as the cards decide his fate. In a moment of crisis he meets Dao-Ming, an enigmatic Chinese woman who appears to be a denizen of the casinos just like himself, and seems to offer him salvation in the form of both money and love. But as Doyle attempts to make a rare and true connection, all that he accepts as reality seems to be slipping from his grasp."--

Book Synopsis

A "vivid and feverish portrait of a soul in self-inflicted purgatorio" (The New York Times Book Review) set in the alluring world of Macau's casinos, by the celebrated author of Only to Sleep and The Forgiven.

"Hypnotic . . . haunting . . . thrilling and terrifying."--NPR's All Things Considered

In development as a Netflix film starring Tilda Swinton and Colin Farrell

A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: The New York Times Book Review, The New Yorker, NPR

As night falls on Macau and the neon signs that line the rain-slick streets come alive, Doyle--"Lord Doyle" to his fellow players--descends into his casino of choice to try his luck at the baccarat tables that are the anchor of his current existence. A corrupt English lawyer who has escaped prosecution by fleeing to the East, Doyle spends his nights drinking and gambling and his days sleeping off his excesses, continually haunted by his past. Taking refuge in a series of louche and dimly lit hotels, he watches his fortune rise and fall as the cards decide his fate.

In a moment of crisis he meets Dao-Ming, an enigmatic Chinese woman who appears to be a denizen of the casinos just like himself, and seems to offer him salvation in the form of both money and love. But as Doyle attempts to make a rare and true connection, all that he accepts as reality seems to be slipping from his grasp.

Resonant of classics by Dostoevsky and Graham Greene, The Ballad of a Small Player is a timeless tale steeped in eerie suspense and rich atmosphere.

Review Quotes

A New York Times 100 Notable Books of 2014
A New Yorker Best Book of 2014
An NPR Best Book of the Year
Selected as one of Kansas City Star's 100 Best Books of 2014

"Slim but insistent . . . A vivid and feverish portrait of a soul in self-inflicted purgatorio."--Tom Shone, New York Times Book Review

"Osborne, a travel writer, renders the atmosphere of casinos, hotels, and restaurants seductively...[and] shows an impeccable facility for capturing the sweat-soaked suspense of the high-stakes card table."--The New Yorker

"Hypnotic . . . Macau and Hong Kong feel vivid and true in the novel, yet also otherworldly: Well-known landmarks and weather conditions are captured with a stillness and beauty that make them feel haunting and melancholy. . . . But ultimately it is the uncertain fate of Doyle and the others that made me as a reader feel strangely fulfilled. The decisions they make seem connected to the thrilling and terrifying changes taking place around them. Old ways collide with a brash new world, and in this game, it is not yet clear which will emerge the winner."--Tash Aw, for All Things Considered

"Haunting . . . A captivating story about the nature of addiction, the power of the supernatural and the freedom that may come from throwing everything to chance."--NPR

"Elegantly told...The beauty of this novel is in the elegance and precision of its prose, which renders the glaring kitsch of Macau into a series of exquisite miniatures, and draws on Osborne's reserves as a travel writer."--The Guardian

"A searing portrait of addiction and despair set in the glittering world of Macau's casinos. . . . Osborne's intriguing Chinese milieu and exquisite prose make this work as a standout."--Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Osborne masterfully recreates the atmosphere of casinos as well as the psychology of baccarat players--and leaves readers eager to try their luck at the game."--Kirkus Reviews

"[Osborne's] darkly introspective study of decline and decay conjures apt comparisons to Paul Bowles, Graham Greene, and V. S. Naipaul."--Booklist

"A modern Graham Greene . . . Osborne is a thrilling, exceptional talent in British fiction's landscape."--Sunday Times (UK)

"Unavoidable comparisons will be drawn with Graham Greene's work. . . . [Osborne] has a masterful touch with creating mood, and a swirling, world-weary foreignness pervades the story. The Ballad of a Small Player is a layered work, a novel about addiction, love and class but given an allusive face by the way it perches constantly on some supernatural brink."--Irish Examiner

About the Author

LAWRENCE OSBORNE is the author of the bestselling novel The Forgiven and six books of nonfiction. His short story "Volcano" was selected for Best American Short Stories 2012, and he has written for the New York Times Magazine, the New Yorker, Forbes, Harper's, and several other publications.