The Harbour is an exceptional first novel: an intelligent romance immersed in its historical setting, and with a thread of steel running through it. Layers of race (Chinese, Japanese, English, American), of role (victim, observer, contender, survivor, soldier, spy, revolutionary) and of sex, politics and sexual politics meld to make a much tougher, more interesting novel than a casual glance might suggest. We need more love stories like this.

A haunting tale of love’s struggle to survive against all odds. A bold and beautifully written debut.

A fiercely imagined and deeply felt story of complicated wartime love. I could see every scene.

This is a powerful novel of depth and intensity and one that subtly changes mood from cocktail-and-opium-fuelled larks to despair and degradation.

This is a tumultuous, passionate, fierce story of wartime love. Verdict: 5/5

With shocking vividness Brill describes the violence and deprivation of the occupation and sensitively explores the compromises, both moral and emotional, of people caught up in desperate situations. It is a romantic novel, but it’s tough and tragic too, a gritty tale of passion and wartime endurance.

There were several nights where I thought to myself ‘just one more chapter’ and ended up reading well into the night. A story of passion, emotion, survival and above all love, The Harbour was a fantastic debut. I’ll be waiting eagerly to see what Francesca Brill has in store next.

Stevie and Harry’s tale of love is gives a big middle finger to the uptight morals imported by expat British high society....The Harbour’s steamy evocation of Hong Kong will satisfy any would-be traveller. A screenwriter by trade, Brill’s writing exhibits vibrant visual representations of China’s island colony. Via Stevie and Harry we see the landscape and culture through eyes of outsiders.