Lam's latest (after Bloodletting & Miraculous Cures) is a masterfully paced exploration of a world convulsed by war, wherein faith and reason no longer hold sway. Percival Chen, an affluent Chinese English instructor in late 1960s Saigon, is determined to escape the politics of war-torn Vietnam, profiting from the sidelines instead. He instructs his son, Dai Jai, to remain faithful only to their Chinese heritage, not realizing that even this allegiance has become a deadly liability. Obeying his father's edict, Dai Jai is arrested by Vietnamese authorities, and Percival exhausts his shady connections in his attempts to rescue Dai Jai from the brutality of the police. Meanwhile, Percival falls in love with Jacqueline-a mixed-race prostitute with ulterior motives-despite the objections of his loyal friend Mak, a man embroiled in his own mysterious affairs. Lam marshals his characters with humor, suspense, and tenderness as the fall of Saigon looms. Even as Percival navigates the minefield of shifting ideologies, treachery, and paranoia-incurring one inconceivable cost upon another-his devotion suffuses every page. Lam depicts a world caught in an implacable cycle of violence, leavened only by the grace of a father's love. Agent: Christy Fletcher. (Aug.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

With his first novel, Lam, winner of the Scotiabank Giller prize for his short story collection Bloodletting and Other Miraculous Cures, has created a tour de force that reaches from the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong to the American withdrawal from Vietnam in 1975. Lam's straightforward prose draws readers into wartime Saigon, where everyone is on the take and choosing the wrong allies can prove deadly. Percival Chan, a second-generation Chinese immigrant, is a womanizer, compulsive gambler, and pompous hypocrite with a hilariously mean ex-wife. Chan barely maintains a semblance of propriety for the sake of his highly regarded English-language school. Oblivious to the intrigue around him, he has a torrid affair with a Vietnamese metisse and becomes a pawn used by complex political forces. Chan raises money to ransom his son from torture, and risks everything in high-stakes mah-jong. But his cool head at the gambling table serves him well. VERDICT Readers who enjoyed Denis Johnson's The Tree of Smoke will appreciate this Vietnamese view of the conflict.-Reba Leiding, James Madison Univ. Lib., Harrisonburg, VA (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Percival Chen, the wealthy headmaster of an English-language school in 1960s Saigon, has an innate belief in the superiority of his Chinese heritage and eschews the changing face of power in Vietnam first, the sadistic Japanese; then the urbane French and the overconfident Americans; and, finally, the victorious Vietcong. Percival only believes in making money and gives full rein to his vices. But over the course of this long novel, which takes its time detailing the ethnic and cultural complexities of Saigon, Percival must learn to deal with the historic forces of his time. When his beloved son is arrested by the South Vietnamese authorities, Percival risks his wealth to rescue his son and smuggle him to China, where, unfortunately, Percival's status as a landowner dooms his son's fortunes as the Cultural Revolution dawns. Turning to a beautiful mixed-race Vietnamese prostitute for comfort, Percival finds himself falling in love and even more vulnerable to the tragedies that befall his town and country. In his first novel, Lam provides both an unusual perspective on the Vietnam War and a sweeping story of one man's brutal education in realpolitik.--Wilkinson, Joanne Copyright 2010 Booklist