That Man in Our Lives

The man in the title of That Man in Our Lives is Gordon Ashberry. But who is he? And where is he? And in what sense is he, or isn’t he, the protagonist of That Man in Our Lives? And is he or isn’t he somebody in whom the reader can whole-heartedly believe?

Questions such as these tease the reader. Gordon Ashberry, also known as Gordie, also known by his Chinese name Hui Guo, is a wealthy American sinophile and unmarried womanizer who has never needed to work. When he turns 50, Gordie decides to give all his money away. A predatory Chinese author, Zhang Lianhe, also known as Lullabelle, makes him the subject of a book published in America titled Honey Money. This is a success, and the resulting publicity sends him into self-imposed exile. He disappears from Tokyo airport, en route from New York to Hong Kong. Naturally, this leaves everybody in his immediate circle bemused, upset, and keen to track him down. The novel is particularly concerned with the reactions of his two closest friends Harold Haight, and Larry Woo, and their families.