A review  of ‘The Shanghai Circle’ by a member of the Online Book Club on the 4th November 2023

4 out of 5 stars

This is the first book in the Chinese Circle series. In this historical fiction story set in 1936 Shanghai, China, Tony Henderson skillfully brings the characters to life within the backdrop of Shanghai’s tumultuous times. The narrative makes the readers, along with the characters, live through all the true incidents that happened back then.

The story revolves around three main characters- a Taipan’s daughter, a Triad leader’s son and a young Russian. The readers can feel themselves living through these characters due to the story’s incredible use of immersive storytelling. The vivid imagery gives us a first-hand experience of 1930s life in Shanghai.

The story very precisely describes the life and interactions between the Chinese and the foreigners. Both the Chinese customs and cultures, and the British culture, are very well described, with all their good and bad sides.

The first chapter is enough for the reader to get hooked to the book. It introduces us to the Sung Society, the second largest Triad society in China. Joseph, the only son of the Triad leader, witnesses, rather excited and amused, the cruel and the ‘authoritarian’ side of both his father and the elders of the society. He makes himself ready to accept the responsibilities of being the heir of Sung Society. Later, he finds it more interesting and feels himself powerful, while exploring his society’s various dealings and undertakings in the criminal world.
But not long after that, he finds a secret of unfinished revenge and feud from his father, which made his life take a turn, which he could never undo.

A beautiful young Russian, Irina, encounters both the triad leader and Joseph in a situation she never thought she would be in and finds herself trapped in their clutches. To keep her life safe, she had to allow herself to be used by her enemies. She wished she could escape from this city which brought her all the troubles. But she soon finds a new chapter in her life, which she once thought was impossible.

Davina Guest is the only daughter of the taipan of Guest, a foreign trade establishment. She was among the rare highly educated women of those days. Born and raised in Shanghai, she finds it very difficult to leave the city she loves, under pressure from the Japanese invaders. But things were not as easy as they planned, especially when they find out about a long-forgotten tragedy. They soon find themselves trapped between death and life.

Joseph, Irina and Davina, along with their close relatives and friends, find themselves trapped in a tangled mess of bloody hatred and revenge while they have to escape the Japanese Invasion.
The amount of suspense in this story makes the reader read with goosebumps and boiling curiosity throughout.

The story totally deserves a 4 out of 5 stars for its incredible narration. I especially liked how all the characters are introduced not through separate introductions, but through conversations. Another highlight is its vivid imagery, which makes the scenes come to life in the mind of the reader, and I personally felt walking through the streets of Shanghai, experiencing the moments myself.

The book is well-written and edited, and the language is very easy to understand. The few Chinese terms used are very tactfully explained in the story itself.

A note to the readers: It contains many triggering situations and descriptions that might not be appropriate for readers of all age groups. I totally do not recommend this book to anyone who is under 18.

But that does not make the book any less from being a perfect read for a historical fiction lover.