Wednesday, December 10, 2014

Premier Virtual Author Book Tours: The Demon Who Peddled Longing by Khanh Ha

Title: The Demon Who Peddled Longing
Author: Khanh Ha
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Underground Voices
Publish Date: November 21, 2014
Source: Premier Virtual Authors Book Tours



What's the Story?:

From Goodreads.com: "Set in post-war Vietnam, The Demon Who Peddled Longing tells the terrible journey of a nineteen-year-old boy in search of the two brothers who are drifters and who raped and killed his cousin. It brings together the damned, the unfit, the brave, who succumb by
their own doing to the call of fate. Yet their desire to survive and to face life again never dies, so that when someone like the boy who is psychologically damaged by his family tragedy, who no sooner gets his life together after being rescued by a fisherwoman then falls in love with an untouchable girl and finds his life in peril, takes his leave in the end, there is nothing left but a longing in the heart that goes with him."

My Two Cents:

"The Demon Who Peddled Longing" is the story of Nam, a nineteen year old boy who is in the middle of a journey that will take him all over Vietnam. He is looking for two brothers who raped his cousin. This journey will change him and will take him to meet people he may never have come across otherwise. Each character is struggling with something. These characters will force him to look into himself and to decide the kind of person that he will become. This is the second book that I have read by Khanh Ha and I continued to really enjoy his brand of storytelling.

This book is really hard to describe. It deals with some heavy topics. Nam is dealing with a lot and is a really fascinating character. He is trying to find who raped his cousins. He is also just trying to cope with becoming a man. The topics are heavy but the prose is almost dream-like and sometimes nebulous, which means you have to pay close attention to the book. The writing is also quite stark and I found myself wanting a little more detail about how Nam and some of the supporting characters were feeling. At first, I had a little bit of a hard time getting into the book but once I hit my stride, the story was enjoyable.

The author does not shy away from painting a very real and sometimes brutal picture of what post-Vietnam War Vietnam was like. In this book, we meet several characters that are truly struggling to make ends meet. While I found myself wanting more detail, I did like that the author did not candy-coat Nam's journey! Overall, this is a difficult story but those that appreciate writing that is off the beaten path may want to try this one.

Follow the Rest of the Tour:

Teddy Rose Book Reviews Plus Nov 6 Spotlight & Giveaway
Black Heart Magazine Nov 7 Review
Pinky’s Favorite Reads Nov 10 Excerpt
Savvy Verse & Wit Nov 11 Interview
Inspire to Read Nov 12 Excerpt
Oh,For the Hook Of a Book Nov 14 Review & Interview (postponed)
She Trends Softly Nov 17 Review
Flashlight Commentary Nov 18 Review (Postponed)
Teddy Rose Book Reviews Plus  Nov 19 Review
Teddy Rose Book Reviews Plus  Nov 19 Interview

Cassandra M’s Place Nov 20 Review & Giveaway
Manic Mama of 3 Nov 21 Review
Mary’s Cup of Tea Nov 24 Review
Book Dilettante Nov 25 Review & Giveaway
The Year In Books Nov 26 Review
What U Talking Bout Willis? Dec 1 Excerpt

Deal Sharing Aunt Dec 3 Review
Savvy Verse & Wit Dec 3 Review
Two Children and a Migraine Dec 4 Review
Buried In Print Dec 5 Review
My Devotional Thoughts Dec 5 Review

True Book Addict Dec 9 Interview
A Bookish Affair Dec 10 Review

Indie Reviews Behind the Scenes Jan 11 

2 comments:

  1. Thanks for taking part in the tour. I really like Khanh's brand of storytelling as well!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thank you, Meg, for a wonderful review.

    ReplyDelete

Hi! Welcome to A Bookish Affair. If you leave a comment, I will try to either reply here or on your site!

As of 6/6/2011, this book is now an awards free zone. While I appreciate the awards, I would rather stick to reviewing more great books for you than trying to fill the requirements.

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...