Review: Flesh by Khanh Ha

Teddyrose@1

12 years ago

Book Description (From book jacket):

Publisher: Black Heron Press, June 15, 2012
Category: Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction
Tour Dates: January, 2013
Available in: Print Only , 368 pages

Set in Tonkin (now northern Vietnam) at the turn of the 20th century, Flesh tells the story of a boy who witnesses the execution, by beheading, of his father, a notorious bandit, and sets out to recover his father’s head, and then find the man who betrayed his father to the authorities. A coming-of-age story of brutal self-awakening and also a tender love story, Flesh takes the reader into places, both dark and wonderful, in the human condition where allies are not always your friends, true love hurts, and your worst enemy can bring you the most solace.

Khanh Ha writes of the physical world with such sensuousness that he will make the reader’s heart ache. At the same time, though Flesh is his first novel, his knowledge of the human psyche is that of a fully mature writer. The title refers to temptation—the temptation of the flesh. But it refers equally to the obligations of kinship, the connections between us and those to whom we are related, even if we would choose not to be.

My Review:

Flesh is not just a great book, it is a masterpiece! The characters spring to life on the very first page and stay with you way after reading the very last page. Both the characters and landscape are unforgettable! I completely forgot that I live in 2013 Canada.

Ha writes with such poetic prose that it is sensuous, as the book jacket says. There are secrets to be drawn out that the reader does not suspect. They make perfect sense and explain a lot. They also add even more value to the story.

I highly recommend this book for either historical fiction lovers or literary fiction lovers. This literary work deserves a prize!

5/5

Be sure to check out the guest post today by Khanh Ha and enter to win this masterpiece!