The Custom House

'Mr King is masterly' - Angus Wilson, "Observer". "The Custom House" was first published in 1961 and has at its heart a savage and seemingly inexplicable murder.

Set in post-war Japan, it explores the complexities of life and captures the recurring misunderstandings between the East and the West.

King's characters inhabit an increasingly changing world as many strive to rise above their expectations as well as their limitations, whether these are spiritual, intellectual or material.

Yet, even in the midst of describing the poverty, overpopulation and the failure of many to become what they want to be, "The Custom House" also contains flashes of wit and humour.

The central characters - the English teacher, Knox; the Australian missionary, Welling; Sanae, the Japanese woman with whom Welling falls in love; Setsuko, one of the 'New Women' of Japan and Setsuko's uncle, head of a vast cartel and an amateur painter - display King's penetrating knowledge of motive and character and the book is an impressive and vivid picture of a country in flux.