If I Had Two Lives

This is possibly the first book I've read and not known anyone's name which feels weird. It's also one of the few books where I've disliked every single character, which I have a feeling was the intention. Set between Vietnam and the States this is a story about the various layers of relationships.......more

Visit the locations in the novel This is such an emotional read. I really hesitated with the star rating. For a book with these themes and subject matter, stars always seem wrong somehow. The writing was good but I struggled with the subject and it was a tough read given the violence and brutality......more

via my blog: [URL not allowed] 'My mother had no daughter. It was her gift to me.' The novel begins in Vietnam as our young narrator is reunited with her mother, living under protection inside a military camp after she comes to the dangerous attention of the Prime Minister for her......more

So entranced was I by this book that I slowed my reading toward the end to prolong my time with the story and its characters. The writing is hauntingly beautiful with precise descriptions that don’t shy away from grotesque or difficult realities. It’s a story of the search for belonging (in both pla......more