In her book “Owlish,” Dorothy Tse presents the fictional Nevers as a representation of Hong Kong where the city’s shadowy secrets lurk behind shiny, mirrored facades. The book is a darkly fantastical parable about totalitarianism, and a portrayal of a city in transition. The protagonist, Professor Q, engages in an all-consuming affair with a full-sized music-box doll, oblivious to the disappearance of his students, police raids on dormitories, and disqualification of election candidates without reason. Meanwhile, his wife Maria personifies the bland, bureaucratizing face of state power, content in her self-contained world despite her department’s sudden digital transformation. The book has a surreal quality, with elements of magical realism that refract and distort Hong Kong’s recent past, including the 2019 protests. “Owlish” delves into the city’s subconscious, exploring its dreams and aspirations, even as it slides into authoritarianism aided by the political apathy of its people.
