Deservedly Won the 2005 Scotiabank Giller Prize
Charles Boatman, a solder in the Vietnam war is haunted by what happened there, and spend most of his life trying to come to terms with it. Plagued by nightmares, he goes to Vietnam in an effort to reconcile his life.
When he disappears, his children Ada and Jon go to Vietnam to try to find him. This is the story of Charles and his children, all lost in the confusion and chaos we call life.
This novel is deeply depressing and haunting. Bergen’s lyrical prose takes us to were most of us do not want to go, but should. It is not just Charles lonely journey trying to find life, but also that of his children and more in this cast of characters.
At times I found myself wanting to put this book down to catch a breath of fresh air, but I couldn’t! Bergen is amazing at his craft and I look forward to reading more by him. I wish I would have read this one sooner!
I highly recommend this book to all, however if your suffering from depression, you may want to wait to read it until your feeling better.
5/5
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