Coswell's guide to Tambralinga

the long version

"In a last-ditch effort to save their marriage, Conrad and Lucy Shermer embark on a second honeymoon in the fashionably exotic - and politically volatile - Southeast Asian nation of Tambralinga. They soon separate, Lucy (guidebook in hand) in quest of authentic cultural experience on the mainland while Conrad searches for an infamous brothel on a nearby tourist island. From the outset, both expeditions are in danger of devolving into farce. Conrad, torn between his staid, paternal nature and his desire to play the libertine in this exotic setting, finds himself caught in a strange vortex of sexual power politics, stumbling upon "authentic" experiences he's sought to avoid. At the same time, Lucy's internal compass sends her on adventures beyond the parameters of her carefully plotted itinerary, forcing her to confront realities at odds with the romantic portrait promoted by her guidebook."--BOOK JACKET.