Dickens & Rumi

book

The borrowed

Chan Ho-Kei · 2016

Explore the age guidance, content cautions, positive qualities, and supporting notes for The borrowed by Chan Ho-Kei. This book is content notes include Death of a character, Violence, Alcohol or drugs; positive qualities include Courage & resilience, Creativity & curiosity.

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At a glance

Recommended ageNot listed

Strongest cautions

  • Death of a character4/5
  • Violence3/5
  • Alcohol or drugs2/5

Strongest positives

  • Courage & resilience4/5
  • Creativity & curiosity4/5
  • Diverse representation3/5

What’s in it?

Death of a character4/5
Why this rating?

Murder and death are central to the linked detective cases; grief and the consequences of loss recur throughout.

Graphic injury2/5
Why this rating?

Occasional descriptions of crime scenes and bodily harm, but not gratuitous.

Strong language2/5
Why this rating?

Occasional coarse language and aggressive dialogue typical of gritty crime novels.

LGBTQIA characters1/5
Why this rating?

Not a significant feature of the narrative.

Religious themes1/5
Why this rating?

Religion is not a central theme in the story.

Romance1/5
Why this rating?

Romantic elements are minimal and secondary to the central mystery plots.

Frightening scenes2/5
Why this rating?

Murders, threats, and tense investigations may feel unsettling, but the book relies more on crime-solving suspense than horror, jump scares, or frightening creatures.

Sexual content & nudity1/5
Why this rating?

Brief references to adult themes common in noir crime fiction.

Alcohol or drugs2/5
Why this rating?

Some scenes involve alcohol consumption and references to smoking, common in the detective genre.

Violence3/5
Why this rating?

Includes descriptions of police procedures, murders, and violent crimes consistent with the hardboiled crime genre.

What’s good in it?

Courage & resilience4/5
Why this rating?

Characters display persistent courage while navigating dangerous and morally murky situations.

Creativity & curiosity4/5
Why this rating?

Its reverse-chronological structure, linked cases, shifting eras, and intricate deductions strongly reward curiosity and analytical thinking.

Diverse representation3/5
Why this rating?

Features a cast deeply rooted in the specific cultural and social diversity of Hong Kong.

Educational value3/5
Why this rating?

The cases provide substantial historical and social context about Hong Kong across changing decades, alongside detective fiction.

Kindness & empathy2/5
Why this rating?

Kindness exists but is often overshadowed by the harsh realities of the criminal world.

Positive messages3/5
Why this rating?

The story explores justice, truth, corruption, responsibility, social change, and the consequences of choices.

Good role models3/5
Why this rating?

Detective Kwan acts as a highly principled and intelligent protagonist.

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Conversation starters based on this title’s published content notes.

  1. What did courage look like in this story? Was being brave always the same as being fearless?
  2. How did the story approach death or loss? What helped the characters cope?
  3. Which choice in The borrowed would you have made differently, and why?
  4. Who changed the most in The borrowed, and what caused that change?
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