Name: The Lotus Eaters
ISBN: 9780007364206

Tatjana Soli

At the fall of Saigon in 1975, two lovers make their way through the streets, desperately trying to catch one of the last planes out. Helen Adams, a photojournalist, must leave a war she is addicted to and Linh her lover must grapple with conflicting loyalties. Betrayal and self- sacrifice follows, echoing their relationship over war-torn years.

The Lotus Eaters

Jeni Enjaian

This book had so much potential. In fact, when I first started reading it, I got a little excited. I knew that when I had to put it down after the first section, that I would be returning to a book worth reading. Unfortunately, that great potential so beautifully crafted by Soli in the initial section faded gradually until all that remained was a jaded war story that has been written so many times it is almost cliché complete with disgusting language that has no part in a beautifully written novel. 
I eagerly anticipated learning more about the Vietnam War from the perspective of a character experiencing this tragedy as it happened. When Soli first steps back from the initial time frame, the last ditch evacuation of all American personal from the country, I looked forward to more clarification on Linh and Helen's relationship, how Helen had gotten her credentials pulled by her employer and other such answers. Instead, Soli's narrative focused primarily on Helen and Darrow's relationship, leaving a scant third of the book to initiate and develop the relatively mysterious relationship established at the beginning of the novel.
The rushed and unsatisfactory ending perfectly encapsulated how easy it was for me to rush through to the end of the novel. The narrative no longer held anything worth of savoring.
I do not recommend this book.

The Lotus Eaters

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