Amazon.com Product Description (ISBN 030726808X, Hardcover)
A stunningly inventive, deeply moving fiction debut: stories that take us from the slums of Colombia to the streets of Tehran; from New York City to Iowa City; from a tiny fishing village in Australia to a foundering vessel in the South China Sea, in a masterly display of literary virtuosity and feeling.

In the magnificent opening story, “Love and Honor and Pity and Pride and Compassion and Sacrifice,” a young writer is urged by his friends to mine his father’s experiences in Vietnam—and what seems at first a satire of turning one’s life into literary commerce becomes a transcendent exploration of homeland, and the ties between father and son. “Cartagena” provides a visceral glimpse of life in Colombia as it enters the mind of a fourteen-year-old hit man facing the ultimate test. In “Meeting Elise,” an aging New York painter mourns his body’s decline as he prepares to meet his daughter on the eve of her Carnegie Hall debut. And with graceful symmetry, the final, title story returns to Vietnam, to a fishing trawler crowded with refugees, where a young woman’s bond with a mother and her small son forces both women to a shattering decision.

Brilliant, daring, and demonstrating a jaw-dropping versatility of voice and point of view, The Boat is an extraordinary work of fiction that takes us to the heart of what it means to be human, and announces a writer of astonishing gifts.


Chosen for my bookgroup and I am not usually a fan of short stories but these were quite impressive. Le has written a powerful collection of stories set in different countries and exploring a variety of cultures but dont expect a feel good read and each concludes with just a hint of resolution.

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

Requested via Bookmooch by Karli a fellow Bookcrosser. Sending in controlled release via Aus Post. Enjoy and happy reading.

Thanks jeniwren - I can't wait to get stuck into this.

(Edited this journal entry a few weeks later)... I was impressed by this book. Usually when I read a collection of short stories by one writer, I really get the overriding feeling that one author, one voice, has come up with several stories. These stories came across as believably different narrators, a widely different range of perceptions and ways of life. Nam Le seems to be very talented! I cared about most of the narrators, and was genuinely interested in each story.

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

Posted to jubby, a fellow Bookcrosser. Enjoy!

Received in the post today.

Thank you very, very much Karli.

Alright, where do I begin with this one?

This book was selected by the online reading group that I joined a while back, and in true reading group form I didn't get around to reading it on time and joining the discussion.

But, as the book went on to win several prizes, I was curious to give it a go. So, you can imagine how excited I was when Kali posted me a copy.

I struggled with this book and found it quite difficult to settle down and read. I took it with me on a family holiday, thinking that short stories would be just the thing. Eeeck! I found these stories might have been varied in their settings, characterisation and themes, but all seemed to dwell in the gut churning, darkened sky moment before the storm (literal or emotional) hits.

Bleak, challenging and far from remitting, I still think about some of these characters.

The writer has a gift for getting to the heart of the situation/crisis and creating believable characters within a few paragraphs.

I've sent this book to a fellow bookcrosser who is now residing in Munich, but I couldn't figure out how to make that the release location, so just popped my own location there instead.

I hope you enjoy (not sure that is the right word for this collection of short stories) reading this Bacardiandlime, and happy travels.

Received this in the mail from jubby - thank you! Look forward to reading it.