Fiction/Non Fiction: Fiction
Themes: Historical, family, inter-generational, devotion, war.
Pages: 339
One sentence summary: I'm going to summarise this with a quote from the book instead: "only through love can we drive away the darkness of evil from this earth."
Overview: Set at the time of the Vietnam war between the north and south and amist the land reform, a grandmother tells her grandaughter the story of their family. Between them, their family story is told through their personal traumas and despair. The one thing that doesn't waiver is their devotion to eachother.
Personal Thoughts:
It's a heart-wrenhcing story of love and loss. Poignant and beautifully told, this is escapism at it's peak. I felt like I was right there with all of the characters: on the run through villages, through jungles hiding from war.. the imagery is incredible.
The story takes inspiration from Phan Quế Mai's family's own story and you can really feel that personal touch all the way through.
Would I read it again? Yes, it's heart breaking but so beautifully done. I really love stories that are so full of emotion and this is definitely one of them.
Read this? Plan to read it? I'd love to know! Let me know in the comments below.
Available for purchase as part of our Devotion box here.