Against the Flood (Voices from Vietnam, 3.)

Rating:
Summary: A remarkable novel is aptly translated into English
Review: Khiem is a writer and editor-in-chief of a publishing house in contemporary Vietnam when he is attacked by a clique of conformist writers. The result is the banning of his book. His lover, Hoan, is slandered and sacked from her job, necessitating her leaving Hanoi and becoming caught up in opium trafficking resulting in her arrest. Khiem's wife is a smuggler, has an extra-marital affair and dies during an abortion. His best friend is sent to Angola as a health expert and dies there. After a long period of suffering, Khiem and Hoan are finally reunited. This is the bare bones plot summary of a deeply engaging, superbly written, highly recommended novel of friendship, love and betrayal played out against a background of Vietnamese culture and politics in a state of rapid transition and change. Ma van Khang's remarkable novel is aptly translated into English by the collaborative efforts of Phan Thanh Hao and Wayne Karlin.