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Loading... The Boat (2008)by Nam Le
I have mixed feelings about this collection of short stories. Some of them I liked very much, while others not particularly. Nam Le is an original writer, and he is ambitious in his attempt to write from all different genders, ages and cultural backgrounds. But he reaches a little too far for drama at times, and ends up with something approaching melodrama. Many of his stories are about proving oneself, proving one is tough rather than vulnerable, and maybe this is why they seem a bit hollow at times. I think he will eventually write his way to a truer and more confident vision of the world. (  ) astrologerjenny | Apr 24, 2013 |  I'm not usually a fan of short stories as I find they're often not long enough to really get a feel for the characters, but Nam Le's stories are a standout exception. I found it amazing that one author could draw such disparate authentic portraits. How does he do it? I read the final story 'The Boat' against the backdrop of the polarised and xenophobic debate on asylum seekers in Australia and I wished more people would read this story. (  ) ilovejfranzen | Aug 15, 2012 | asianamlitfans | Nov 25, 2011 | A collection of short stories, vividly told and compelling, that add up to make something that’s more than the sum of its parts – a commentary on the human condition, the many nuances of our relationships with one another, and the global, multi-cultural world in which we live. The first story - Love and Honor and Pity and Pride and Compassion and Sacrifice - was a delightfully rich and understated picture of a family who fled to Australia from Vietnam as boat-people; about the sacrifices parents make for their children and the pain parents and children cause each other; and about the stories we tell, why we tell them, and how they are received. This was followed by stories about a young South American assassin; a father hoping to meet his famous daughter, a cello prodigy, after 17 years; a young Australian lad with an ill mother; a Japanese girl in wartime Hiroshima; an American lawyer visiting a friend in Tehran; and a Vietnamese girl on a boat fleeing Vietnam. I really enjoyed the vivid and distinct narrative voices, and the rich pictures and lingering sadness evoked by each of these stories. (  ) seekingflight | Mar 26, 2011 | I tend to prefer short stories that delve into the hearts and minds of the characters and that is exactly what Nam Le has done with his collection of stories in The Boat (Knopf, 2008 - Fiction; 272 pgs). I find his writing beautiful at times, while at others somewhat harsh harsh. The stories in the collection are all rather melancholy, the characters flawed and real. My favorite of the stories included the title story, "The Boat," about a mother and child who befriend a young woman traveling on her own. They are escaping Vietnam, hoping for a better and safer life. It is a heart wrenching story that continues to stay with me months after I read it. My other favorite was "Cartagena" about a 14 year old Colombian boy, a hitman, who has had to grow up all too fast. He goes into hiding after refusing to kill his most recent target. I found myself holding my breath near the end, knowing what was to come but wishing it would end differently. I came to really care for the 14 year old protagonist. (  ) LiteraryFeline | Jan 1, 2011 | no reviews | add a review
References to this work on external resources.
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 Google Books — Loading...Popular coversRatingAverage: (3.73)
 Audible.comTwo editions of this book were published by Audible.com.
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Wikipedia in English
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