The Other Side of Heaven: Post-War Fiction by Vietnamese and American Writers

by Wayne Karlin

Book Overview

Just as the remaining trade sanctions against Vietnam are being lifted comes The Other Side of Heaven, a collection of short stories by American and Vietnamese writers about the Vietnam War (or the 'American War, ' depending on who is speaking). 'This book was born out of the meeting of two people who, if they had met two decades previously, ' writes Karlin in his introduction, 'would have tried to kill each other.' Stunning in both scope and content,...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1880684314
• ISBN13: 9781880684313
• Release Date: September 1995
• Publisher: Curbstone Press
• Length: 412 Pages
• Weight: 2.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.4" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

REVIEW QUOTES

"Stunning in both scope and content..." --Publishers Weekly"Karlin has established a reputation as a superb prose stylist. His uncanny ability to examine the human condition by juxtaposing historical periods and tracing the dramatic impact of one person's history on other characters and consequent events has won him praise...This excellent novel is highly recommended..."--Multicultural Perspectives"A superb collection." --Kirkus Reviews

A Two-Sided Perspective

The layout of the book is rather interesting, and serves to make the point of the authors clear. Each section of the collection is prefaced by a part of a poem that illuminates the struggles victims on both sides of the war faced. The anthology is also organized in a form that alternates between American and Vietnamese short stories. The plight that the Vietnamese people faced during the Vietname war is often overshadowed by America's turmoil, and it is helpful to see both sides of the coin. Some very formidable Vietnamese authors are included in the anthology, so it is also a helpful way to introduce oneself to Vietnamese literature. I think that the book is very worthwhile, and it makes an interesting attempt at healing the scar which divides two nations.