Elevator in Saigon by Thuan

An immigrant Vietnamese woman attends her estranged mother's funeral, traveling from Paris to Saigon. When an acquaintance of her mother pays a visit, he relays a story from fifty years ago when she was a liaison girl for the Viet Minh and was held as a political prisoner.

A notebook and a photo of a man named Paul Polotsky, dated 1954, are the only clues she has about her mother. This further investigation is more like a journey through Saigon to Paris. Her mother's life resembles a treasure trove, and she is playing detective to make things clearer. She also learns about her mother's extended family and their roles in Vietnam's Revolution. It's like time traveling back to the place where her mother's side of the story originated.

This is my second mellow and meandering read about Vietnam in a row. Although it's slow-paced, it is thought-provoking.

Anam by Andre Dao

As the son of refugees and the grandson of a political prisoner, the narrator feels that the world owes something to his grandfather. A simple, mournful remembrance is insufficient; he wants to keep the memory of Annam alive by writing a memoir. His grandfather was a lawyer in Vietnam, also known as Anam. After the U.S. was defeated, the communist government took over. He had been imprisoned at Chi Hoa Prison for 10 years without being charged or tried as a revolutionary.

However, after returning from a fact-finding mission in Vietnam, he realizes that he may have become carried away in his quest. He is determined that the suffering of his grandfather at the hands of a repressive regime cannot be forgotten. At the same time, he feels he does not belong everywhere, matter-of-factly.

The narrator's memory of his grandparents, a research trip, fragments of his extended family in Vietnam, extensive reading, internet searches, and the support of his beloved wife and daughter have inspired him to envision a better version of himself. His grandfather believes that forgiveness is necessary for our own good.

Stories of POWs always make me sad. Their PTSD is hard to endure, and finding healing and closure may haunt them for the rest of their lives. Feeling sympathy and guilt may not be enough. This is the debut novel of the author, and it won the 2021 Victorian Premier's Literary Award for an Unpublished Manuscript.

The House of Last Resort by Christopher Golden

Tommy and Kate Puglisi decided to start a new life in Becchina, a small town in Sicily. Moving there was a big step for them, and they saw it as an investment in their future together. It was also a chance to spend time with Tommy's grandparents.

However, their excitement quickly faded. The town experienced frequent tremors, and their new house, which used to be a church, was filled with strange noises. They had never been believers in the supernatural, but the eerie occurrences in their home began to unsettle them.

The story starts with a cliché opening, but I found myself drawn in by the history of the house, Tommy's father's connection to Becchina, and the growing sense of unease. The ending felt rushed and somewhat predictable, but overall, I found the story enjoyable to read.