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The Bewitching Braid

by Henrique de Senna Fernandes

Translated by  David Brookshaw

Hong Kong University Press

$125

In the Macau of the 1930s, Handsome Adozindo, a young Macanese from  a respected, wealthy Portuguese background, sets out to sexually conquer the well-heeled women of the colony. Despite his debauchery, he's the envy of Macanese high society, his only problem seemingly whether he can continue to forestall a commitment to  a rich and beautiful widow with whom he's also having an affair.

Handsome's philandering  takes him stumbling into Cheok Chai Un,  one of Macau's poorest quarters. He runs into A-Leng, a poor but proud water seller (and the possessor of the braid from which the story gets its title). Were  Handsome to fall in love with her and abandon his life, clan  and social standing to be with her, The Bewitching Braid would be a simple romantic fairy tale. However, his pursuit of A-Leng has less to do with love than love of pursuit. That  Handsome will woo and deflower  the poor water seller is a foregone conclusion. The story has greater depth once the conquest is complete.

Handsome intends to leave A-Leng in shame, until the consequences  of his actions - on both their lives - dawns on him. Ostracised from their  worlds, the two struggle to create  a life together in Macau during the years immediately before, and during, the Sino-Japanese war.

Henrique de Senna Fernandes paints a charming watercolour of a bygone culture and community of  pre-war Macau. The author resists portraying  Handsome's transformation from spoiled fop to a man worthy of the reader's respect as some 'bolt from the blue' enlightenment. The change takes place so slowly that Handsome  is barely aware of his growth.

There's no 'Wizard of Oz' moment, no point at which the screen changes from black and white to lucid colour. However, the writing changes subtly, reflecting the gentle shift in the  story from romantic fairy tale to a more realistic depiction of cross-cultural partnership.



The Bewitching Braid