Beautifully written, sensuous, dreamlike.
From Library Journal
Butler has visited Vietnam many times in his fiction, eschewing blood and guts in favor of examining the hearts and minds of those affected by wartime. In his latest, a soul-searching veteran returns to Saigon in the 1990s and begins an affair with a young tourist guide, little knowing that they share a common link. The secret revealed in this novel will be no surprise to readers, especially since Butler telegraphs it throughout the story. What is amazing, though, is how delicately the author treads on this sensitive material, which in the wrong hands could easily have turned preposterous or laughable. The two principals alternately recount their affair, only slowly becoming aware of the imminent tragedy, which adds to the quiet poignancy of the tale. Interestingly, the most affecting passage comes not from the main story but from the soldier's recalling his father, a frustrated civilian during World War II who ever so gently coerced his son into signing up. A simple but eloquent novel; highly recommended for public and academic libraries
Butler has visited Vietnam many times in his fiction, eschewing blood and guts in favor of examining the hearts and minds of those affected by wartime. In his latest, a soul-searching veteran returns to Saigon in the 1990s and begins an affair with a young tourist guide, little knowing that they share a common link. The secret revealed in this novel will be no surprise to readers, especially since Butler telegraphs it throughout the story. What is amazing, though, is how delicately the author treads on this sensitive material, which in the wrong hands could easily have turned preposterous or laughable. The two principals alternately recount their affair, only slowly becoming aware of the imminent tragedy, which adds to the quiet poignancy of the tale. Interestingly, the most affecting passage comes not from the main story but from the soldier's recalling his father, a frustrated civilian during World War II who ever so gently coerced his son into signing up. A simple but eloquent novel; highly recommended for public and academic libraries
