The Boat by Nam Le

The Boat

Nam Le

The short stories in this book are brilliantly told and very powerful. The characters are so real that I found myself living alongside them. I will remember these people and their experiences for a long time.

Extract
Truong's eyes were glazed when he opened them. He looked like a burnt ghost. He leaned over, away from his mother, and dry-retched. There was nothing left in him to expel. Another of their neighbors, a man who smelled of stale tobacco, averted his legs casually.
Parallels
  • Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri
  • Before I Forget by Andre Brink
  • Breath by Tim Winton