Andrew X. Pham’s latest has the above title. According to the NYT, this isn’t exactly a memoir.
The NYT describes the book as: “the story of Pham’s father, which Pham tells, with a good deal of literary flourish, in his father’s voice. This attempt at impersonation is risky: after all, writing about oneself is easy, but telling the truth about one’s father is a far graver affair. And yet Pham pulls it off.”
“For those not familiar with Vietnamese history, Pham does an admirable job of recounting the complex cast of characters and the political machinations of the various groups vying for power over the years. In the end, he also gracefully delivers a heartfelt family history,” Publishers Weekly states.
Published by Harmony, the NYT also states: “It is often said that the Vietnamese conception of history is circular rather than linear: the same episodes recur over and over, with only the details altered. “The Eaves of Heaven” has a similar feel.”
Click here for the NYT review.
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