The Year My Hair Fell Out

When Australian Don Laridis turns 37 he realises that it's time for a 'real' change. He chooses to relocate to South Korea, a country he knows very little about. Unbeknownst to him, the plight of the English academy that he's been recruited for is on the brink of financial collapse. Instead of running he opts to stay, reveling and losing himself in this uncertain situation.

Laridis teaches English to farm kids, university students, corporate types and housewives - people immersed in a sometimes obsessive pursuit of a second language, even to the brink of murder. This factional story reveals his exposure to the idiosyncracies of a foreign culture, not just in the curious dynamics of private education, but also in the diverse characters he meets on the hoof.

Bob Blunt peeks into the moral fabric of unfamiliar culture that's dealing with Confucian traditions and new found modernity. He narrates, prods, pricks, and observes while keeping us tight in step with the central character.