Overview

Red Lips and Bottoms Up is a riotous, nostalgic, and sharply observed memoir of one man's four-year posting in the Far East during the electric boom of the 1980s. When 29-year-old Bernard Barnes is plucked from London's finance sector and relocated to Hong Kong, he dives headfirst into a world of high-powered banking, humid chaos, and hedonistic nightlife. From navigating typhoons and topless bars to dealing with cultural landmines in Tokyo boardrooms and congee breakfasts in backstreet kitchens, Bernard charts a witty, candid, and vividly detailed journey of personal growth, awkward encounters, and unforgettable friendships. At the heart of this memoir are the iconic expat bars - Red Lips and Bottoms Up - that serve as chaotic microcosms of 1980s Asia, where business, pleasure, and culture collide in unforgettable ways. What begins as a corporate assignment becomes a soulful exploration of identity, belonging, and the limits of propriety. Perfect for fans of Bill Bryson, J.G. Farrell, or Pico Iyer, Red Lips and Bottoms Up is more than a travelogue - it's a time capsule of expat life in its rawest, funniest, and most revealing form. Bold, bawdy, and beautifully told - this is the Far East as you've never seen it before.

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9781861519306

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Bernard Barnes is a former software executive whose international postings took him across Asia during one of its most exciting decades. A natural storyteller with a wicked sense of humour, he captures the chaos and charm of expat life in all its raw detail. Red Lips and Bottoms Up is his first memoir.

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