I enjoyed this brief exploration of Britain and non-Britishness by a literary Chinese immigrant. Guo bought a dilapadated flat with a view of the sea and spent her time ruminating on the Norman defeat of King Harold, finding parallels with Brexit and the immigrant “invasion” so bemoaned by the popular press and her double-glazing installer. The book reads like a series of blog posts summed up by the subtitle “Chronicle of a Year by the Sea.” But this is not a bad thing to make the topic of history, immigration and British damp more understandable.
No. 1 of 24 books I intend to read and review in 2026.
I’m Patrick Sherriff, an Englishman who survived 13 years working for newspapers in the US, UK and Japan. Between teaching English lessons at my conversation school in Abiko, Japan, I write and illustrate textbooks for non-native speakers of English, release Hana Walker mystery novels, short stories, paint, and write essays and Our Man in Abiko, a monthly newsletter highlighting good writing in English, often about about Japan, art, crime fiction and teaching.
Patrick Sherriff 