Beers, Tears & Broken Veneers: A Frenetic Memoir About Living in Cambodia as an Expat. Paperback – May 16, 2023

This book is entertaining and keeps your interest from the beginning. Lewis’ distinct sense of humor and crazy situations create a picture of Cambodia that is honest, and often full of heart. The author does a great job of showing his connections with people and also his struggles with addiction that can destroy someone. At times the order of chapters and events got somewhat confusing, but the writing was engaging, and often crude, but also very funny. Good luck with the rest of your life Lewis.

Did I enjoy this book? Yes I did. Did it make me.yearn to go backpacking? Well no, but I don't need to, because Lewis did it for me, and wrote an entertaining book about it. Disenchanted and disillusioned with his life in Scotland, Lewis buys a backpack and a plane ticket to south east Asia. Traveling with a companion seemed like a good idea : but that didn't work out as he expected, so he found himself alone and inexperienced in Cambodia. What follows is a rollicking tale, populated with many nights of drinking, girls, more drinks, and a lot of fun. I really enjoyed reading this book, although many times I wanted to pick him up and shake some sense into him - "Can you not see what you're doing to yourself??" There is a hint at the end that there may be a sequel. I hope so, because I'm really looking forward to it.

This funny story kept me turning the pages and I was sad to come to the end of the book. I hope the author continues with another memoir starting where this one ends!

Found this author from listening to his interview on Mike Siegel’s Travel Tales podcast. After listening, I immediately went to purchase it! Man, this book totally whisked me away on a nostalgia trip to SE Asia from the cushy confines of my U.S. apartment. As a past traveler to the region, it honestly made me want to pack up my bags and hop on a flight instantly.The author’s got a treasure trove of stories, the good, the bad, and the hilariously ugly. What I appreciate most is how he owns up to all his goof-ups. His honesty is refreshing in a world where we often only see the highlight reels of folks on our feeds.Usually, I'm the type to start a novel and then it gathers virtual dust on my Kindle for eternity, but not this one. I devoured it like it was the last piece of pizza at a party. A clear sign of an excellent read!

This was a good fun read and great insight into the reality of traveling Southeast Asia and being an expat. I could relate to a lot in this book having experienced long term travelling and being an expat in SE Asia. The authors adventures and experiences are laid bare, he doesn't hold back and tells it how it is . A must read for anybody interested in backpacking through Cambodia

Review: Whatever expectations I had for this book (based on the cover and description) were blown out of the water. This book is filled with almost one hundred crazy stories about living and working (not to mention partying) in Cambodia. Backpacking is not something that I have participated in, nor have I ever resided in a foreign country, but I felt like I was right there, and the experience was thrilling.Lets start with a few negatives. The writing style is very simplistic, and as the author puts it “colourful language” is used throughout, but it’s an adult book and not meant for children. Some of the authors decisions in the book are frankly speaking ludicrous, but………that’s what makes the book so entertaining to read. Certain stories are not for the faint hearted: a few violent confrontations, the chapter where his leg is mangled in a motorbike crash is gruesomely detailed, and then we have a section where he talks about accidently swallowing his broken veneer and having to somehow retrieve it (I’ll let you use your imagination).I‘ve read a few travel books but none as chaotic and funny as this one. The tone is set right from the start, an insane story about a woman attempting to rob Lewis (author) with a fork and knife. After that the stories get even more outlandish and unpredictable. As soon as the author starts his adventure in SE Asia the narrative goes into overdrive and the stories come thick and fast: his mate almost getting beaten to death by a group of angry tuk tuk drivers, a violent confrontation with a drunk guy from Scotland, and then getting punched in the face by a random girl in Cambodia.His descriptions of Cambodia are vivid and you can tell that this is a country that he loves. A few chapters detail Lewis’s time as a bar man and this section is filled with hysterical stories about the people he met (had to deal with) as he was working.What makes this book different from the other travelogues or memoirs I have read are the detailed stories about working in a foreign country, mainly Cambodia. The author had success as a film maker in Cambodia for several years and these stories are some of the funniest and most interesting in the book. Many of the stories give detailed accounts of the mistakes that he made while helping clients make movies. I found it difficult to believe some of the blatant mistakes that were made, but judging by the amount of drinking and partying he done it’s easy to see why.Just when I thought the book couldn’t get any funnier, Lewis buys a bar and hostel and I could just tell things were going to get wild, and I was not let down. These stories are some of the most entertaining in the book and the section is 100 pages long, it’s just a bombardment of hysterical encounters. I’ve never known anyone who has ran a hostel or bar in a foreign country, and based on the authors detailed accounts its not for the faint hearted. My sides were splitting during this section, the stories come one after another: a customer soiling a mattress, arguing with cheap customers looking for room discounts, backpackers stealing from each other, a near fatal drug over-dose in the dorm, not to mention all the drunk and troublesome backpackers. This part of the novel starts like a comedy but then ends up as a thriller as the author and his business partner try selling the business.One of the main themes in this book is alcoholism, Lewis has clearly been living in denial his whole life and seems to be a full blown alcoholic. It’s not until towards the end of the book that he comes face to face with the awful truth and tries to better his life. Its simply ludicrous to think that he thought that buying and running a bar would be a good idea given how much he drinks, but I guess you live and learn.This book comes in at over 500 pages but it’s a very quick read, took me about three nights to finish it. I would suggest this book to anyone who has a love of traveling and laughing. Highly recommended reading.

I’m friends with the author and remember when he left from Scotland over to Asia – it was a big undertaking for him. In this book you’ll learn about a beginner backpacker experiencing Cambodia and all the riches it has to offer.The book itself is almost 500 pages – quite a challenge to read however it’s easy as there’s plenty of humour and is well written with many stories.You would think an entire chapter dedicated to his milk going missing from the office fridge would be the perfect cure for insomnia however to stories are funny and I was up to midnight for a week straight on the edge of my seat to find out what crazy encounter he was going to experience next.If you do buy this book I challenge you to keep count of the number of girls he manages to trade money for sex with – it’s fascinating he was able to live such a lifestyle but it seems quite the norm for many Western men of a certain age visiting the country.If you want a laugh or want to find out more about the experiences of a wannabe backpacker with an addiction to booze (and how he overcame it) in Cambodia then read this book. 5 stars.

This book was brought to my attention a few weeks ago and I immediatly promoted it to the top of my reading pile. I was intrigued to learn about how someone adjusts to life as an expat in a foreign country, in this case South East Asia, and I am pleased to say the book did not disappoint.There is a wealth of useful information contained within the pages as well as several amusing anecdotes about Lewis's life in Cambodia. We meet many fascinating characters throughout, each of whom add some depth and value to the overall story. Lewis is searingly honest and open about his adventures and there is a degree of self-deprecation when recounting some of the more embarrassing stories.None of the exploits noted in the book are gratuitous and, although it appears not to be in chronological order, the stories are varied and laced with Lewis's dry asides and amusing observations.This book should appeal to the lone traveller who has an interest in backpacking. Certainly, this would be an ideal starting point for any prospective visitor to the region, including seasoned travellers who wish to read about the culture and lifestyle from an expat's viewpoint.I have no hesitation in awarding this book 5 stars and only hope it reaches a wider audience.

Having lived and travelled in Cambodia around the same time, this is a funny and very relatable set of silly anecdotes, many of which mirror my experiences with eery similarities. I know the author from those early hostel days (2013), so I can certainly vouch for some of the stories and characters. This was like a trip down memory lane and brought back a lot of great memories and emotions from those hedonistic times. I will read this again when I’m grey and old for another dose of nostalgic time travel. 4/5 – definitely worth a read if you’ve spent some wild times in South East Asia.