Em

The fact that this didn’t make the shortlist on the Giller prize is wild to me. Perhaps it’s because she’s won and been nominated for a lot of awards, I don’t know. But this is maybe the strongest book I’ve consumed from the Longlist so far. This is a series of, almost flash fiction really, certainly short stories, of peoples in Vietnam. It showcases wildly disparate experiences and lives as it traces a history and future of a family of a baby that is abandoned but taken up by a young boy embodying radical ideals comparatively to the war torn country: that of tenderness and love. It is highly impactful and effective at showing the plethora of possibilities that are possible when dissent feels slight, but in actuality, is an action that transforms many individuals; the least of which is a child getting to, presumably, survive. The prose are sparse and punchy as hell. Some poets can absolutely use that craft to make wildly fantastic novels, and this is one of those books. I immediately put her other novels on hold and definitely will be picking up a physical copy of this book to see how it reads on the page. The narration by the author was excellent; far exceeding most narrators somehow. Clearly a multi-talented individual.