Thursday, February 29, 2024

 

 

2024 Unleash Creatives Book Winner:

An Artist's Legacy

“Historical fiction can be transcendent when it is done well, though it is very, very difficult to achieve such transcendence. An Artist's Legacy achieves that level of excellence.”—Award Citation

 

Wednesday, October 11, 2023

 HER: The Flame Tree


“Ha evokes a visceral image of Vietnam even as much of the text is rendered in dialogue; the country can hold both flocks of parrots ‘preening their plumage and eating in a frenzy that the ground was a canvas of colors—blue, green and red’ and ‘shreds of flesh and clothing…skewered on branches.’ A vivid study of a country’s fraught history and how its people struggled to make sense of it.”—Kirkus Review

Thursday, March 16, 2023

 The Afterlife of a Threadbare Jester

Winner of The Red Hen Press Fiction Award 2022

 

“Centering on a Vietnamese intelligence officer's years-long ordeal in communist reformation camps, The Afterlife of a Threadbare Jester offers a heartrending and an illuminating look at the Vietnam War and its aftermath. War, literature, religion, politics, loyalty—they are all expertly interrogated through the protagonist's compelling voice and the memorable cast of characters he encounters. Despite the struggle and suffering, the story never veers into the sentimental or cynical. Instead it returns, again and again, to the complexities of the human heart and its will to endure. A moving, unforgettable, and enlightening must-read.”Award Citation

Saturday, November 19, 2022

Her: The Flame Tree

Winner of The Gival Press Novel Award 2022

 


“A beautiful book: extraordinary writing, interesting characters and a fascinating depiction of Vietnam’s history.”
—Washington Writers’ Publishing House

 
 (Forthcoming in October 2023)

Thursday, August 11, 2022


 

All the Rivers Flow into the Sea & Other Stories

While reading this outstanding collection of stories, I couldn't help being overcome by the mysteries of contrast. Dark versus light, rich versus poor, East versus West, life versus death, heartbreaking sorrow against breathtaking beauty. No two stories are the same and yet the human condition is universal. In the minutiae of life can be found the most profound sadness and the most buoyant life.

Such are the writings of this author. Having read his other story collections, I know I'm going to run the gamut of every emotion of the human condition it is possible to feel. That's what makes him such an astounding writer. You can only stand in awe of such masterful prose.
Goodreads

“Poling oars at rest crisscrossed one another, soaring from the water in pale blue ripples as blue as cooking smoke, thinly drifting, that palled the river.”A whirlwind of a book that will leave you breathless, All the Rivers Flow Into the Sea, by Khanh Ha is the kind of collection that short story lovers dream about. This is an absolutely beautiful piece of literature that should be thought of as a modern classic.Goodreads

“In the ash-blue twilight beyond the clearing where bushes grew wild, she saw humps of graves plagued by needle grass and false daisy. The white, small flowers glimmered.” Set mostly in Vietnam, All The Rivers Flow Into The Sea, is a book of short stories by the very talented, award-winning author, Khanh Ha. These stories build as you read through them, ending in the title story about a young couple from different worlds who fight the odds to be together. Picturesque and poignant, these short stories have everything that a reader could want. You will find yourself not only tearing up at times but also bursting into laughter and maybe even fits of anger as you read through this one-of-a-kind book.Goodreads