Suffering in Saigon (and Hanoi) – a book set in Vietnam
- Book: The Trader of Saigon
- Location: Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
- Author: Lucy Cruickshanks
A decent storyline that will be even better read in location. Set in Vietnam it is evocative of the country, whether strolling around Hoan Kiem Lake in Hanoi with Alexander and Hanh, or negotiating the bustling and roaring traffic of downtown Saigon, rushing through Cholon or navigating the square around Notre Dame Basilica. This is the 1980s when guns were still commonplace on the streets, lawlessness still affected thousands upon thousands, women were struggling to find their place under the new regime, and when everyone was coming to terms with the legacy of the war. Yet the book also has a tremendous resonance for Vietnam now.
This is the story of three people and how their lives intertwine. Phuc, Hanh and Alexander all share a future that twists and turns like the alleyways of the Old Quarter in Hanoi.
The idea for the novel came to the author when she was on a flight between Singapore and Ho Chi Minh City in 2007, when she sat next a man who sold Asian brides.
The two locations of Hanoi and Saigon are really well drawn, sufficiently for readers to lose themselves in the descriptions of the frantic metropoles, balanced by more quiet, rural scenes. The title, therefore, feels a little misleading, as The Herder operates partly out of Hanoi, and Cheung Hu out of Saigon. Two cities, over 1000km apart, wonderfully depicted.
This is the link to the TripFiction blogpost and author interview: http://tripfiction.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/Novel-set-in-Vietnam.html
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