He hides online. She hides in the real world.
The real world would like to have a word with him.
Ben isn't asking for much. He simply wants to escape his dead-end job and shake off a wobbly family legacy.
Thanks to his creation of Eddie, a provocative online avatar and secret alter ego, Ben is almost there. Eddie has amassed an enormous following, earning Ben a modest income. He can practically smell the coffee in the distant European cafés where he'll expand his digital enterprise and begin a prosperous new life.
But his plan collapses when a manipulative boxing promoter thrusts him into the heart of a legendary social-media spectacle built on feuds, glitz, and gambling. Now he has three short months to train for the fight of his life. And it all has to do with a woman he can't resist and believes he doesn't deserve.
The cafés will have to wait. Ben has a date in a bloodstained boxing ring. If he backs out, he ruins the woman's life. If he fights and somehow beats the odds, he will have to choose between the freedom he yearns for and the people he loves.
A tale of tenacity and sacrifice, of men and meaning, Shanghai Lottery will leave you misty-eyed and smiling.
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"A symphony of lies. Avoid this book."
- Eddie Luzhin