Red Lips & Bottoms Up

Red Lips and Bottoms Up is a riotous, nostalgic, and sharply observed memoir of one man’s four-year posting in the Far East during the electric boom of the 1980s.

When 29-year-old Bernard Barnes is plucked from London's finance sector and relocated to Hong Kong, he dives headfirst into a world of high-powered banking, humid chaos, and hedonistic nightlife. From navigating typhoons and topless bars to dealing with cultural landmines in Tokyo boardrooms and congee breakfasts in backstreet kitchens, Bernard charts a witty, candid, and vividly detailed journey of personal growth, awkward encounters, and unforgettable friendships.

At the heart of this memoir are the iconic expat bars — Red Lips and Bottoms Up — that serve as chaotic microcosms of 1980s Asia, where business, pleasure, and culture collide in unforgettable ways. What begins as a corporate assignment becomes a soulful exploration of identity, belonging, and the limits of propriety.

Perfect for fans of Bill Bryson, J.G. Farrell, or Pico Iyer, Red Lips and Bottoms Up is more than a travelogue — it’s a time capsule of expat life in its rawest, funniest, and most revealing form.

Bold, bawdy, and beautifully told — this is the Far East as you’ve never seen it before.