There is not much historical fiction out there about sixteenth-century Iran (Persia at the time) and what there is, is about the shahs of the day. The world of women and the harem is generally written about from the stereotypical perspective of one man and hundreds of lovelies who live only to serve him. A heroine might appear but even then she is most often saved by a prince. ... Read More...
The Abundance
In Amit Majmudar’s The Abundance, an Indian-American mother is dying of cancer and trying to decide when to tell her children. The holidays are approaching and she fears her news will obliterate the season’s happiness but she is far enough along that there is no way to mask her weight loss and pallor. As her children arrive with their families and she struggles to maintain ... Read More...
Reeducation of Cherry Truong
In Communist countries “reeducation” is a euphemism for prison camp, forced labor, deprivation, and sometimes, torture. In Aimee Phan’s new book The Reeducation of Cherry Truong there is none of these but the end result is similar: a stripping away of old beliefs and breakdown of long held truths. Cherry is the American-born daughter of Sanh Truong and Tuyet Vo. In the late ... Read More...
Adam in Eden
Adam Gorozpe is a very put upon man. Like the first Adam he stepped into a Garden of Eden by marrying his wife Priscila, daughter of the wealthiest and most powerful man in Mexico City, and a festival queen in her own right. In doing so, he creates his own success and takes over his father-in-law’s place, while still placating the man by living in his home. Now his paradise is ... Read More...
Scenes from Early Life
The first year of Saadi’s life was spent being held almost constantly by aunts, his mother, grandmother and his sisters. If he even looked about to cry he was fed tiny amounts of a local, sweet delicacy, making him one of the fattest and most content of babies by his first birthday. All of this caution was necessary because Saadi and his family live in Dacca, the capital of ... Read More...
Ru: A Novel
The Communist takeover of Saigon forces Nguyễn An Tinh and her family to leave behind their luxurious life and escape to a refugee camp in Malaysia. From there the family immigrates to Canada and settles in Quebec. Kim Thúy’s novel is called Ru, meaning ‘lullaby’ in Vietnamese, which aptly describes the book’s style of storytelling and reminiscence. It is a slim volume with ... Read More...
