''Sour Sweet'' is a 1982 novel by Timothy Mo. Written as a 'sour sweet' comedy the story follows the tribulations of a Hong Kong Chinese immigrant and his initially reluctant wife as they attempt to make a home for themselves in 1960s London. It was awarded the

Hawthornden Prize The Hawthornden Prize is a British literary award that was established in 1919 by Alice Warrender, who was born at Hawthornden Castle. Authors under the age of 41 are awarded on the quality of their "imaginative literature", which can be written ...

for 1982, and shortlisted for the

Booker Prize for Fiction The Booker Prize, formerly known as the Booker Prize for Fiction (1969–2001) and the Man Booker Prize (2002–2019), is a literary prize awarded each year for the best novel written in English and published in the United Kingdom or Ireland. ...

Film adaptation

The novel was filmed as ''

Soursweet ''Soursweet'' is a 1988 British film directed by Mike Newell. The screenplay was written by Ian McEwan from the 1982 novel '' Sour Sweet'' by Timothy Mo. Plot The story, set in the 1960s, is a comedy drama about a young Hong Kong Chinese co ...

'' in 1988. Mike Newell directed. Novelist

Ian McEwan Ian Russell McEwan, (born 21 June 1948) is an English novelist and screenwriter. In 2008, ''The Times'' featured him on its list of "The 50 greatest British writers since 1945" and ''The Daily Telegraph'' ranked him number 19 in its list of th ...

wrote the script.

References

1982 British novels Fiction set in the 1960s British novels adapted into films Hawthornden Prize-winning works Novels set in London André Deutsch books {{1980s-novel-stub