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

 

 A Mother's Tale & Other Stories

Winner of the 2020 C&R Press Award in Fiction

A 2021 Foreword Reviews INDIES Bronze Winner

What a heartbreakingly beautiful, yet achingly sad and thought-provoking collection of stories this was. These images and the graphic depiction of life throughout Vietnam, in good times, bad times, simple and complex, will stay with me for a long time to come. 

This mesmerizing collection will dig into your bones, will permeate your thoughts and will cause you to reflect on all the tragedies and injustices in the world. Because they did happen, they'e happening still and they'll always continue to happen. This is a real tour de force from an author I won't ever forget.--Donna Thompson (Goodreads)