A Thousand Wings

by T.C. Huo

Recalling the work of Gabriel Garci+a7a Ma+a7rquez, a debut novel by an Asian-American author follows a gay cook from his native, war-torn Laos to internment in Thailand to San Francisco, where he falls in love. 12,500 first printing.

160 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 1998

Reviews

[Ming · Rating 2 out of 5]

The style was stilted. While the story had some interesting elements, I believe its pace could have been more engaging. with altering momentum and more tension-propelled movement. The emotional and psychological parts of the story were too measured or flat. I felt he was telling me that this happened or that occured rather than showing me and luring me into his created world(s). This was the author's first book and do hope he continues to work on his craft. There is potential here.

[books_at_sea]

One day, for sure, I want to find out more about the biography of the elusive T.C. Huo. For now, I'll appreciate a sensitive debut that I liked more than I thought I would.

The descriptions of food are not gratuitous but in service of sharp observations about memory. What some reviewers have called magical realism is integrated as a sign of the upheaval of the period. The portrait of gay life in 1990s San Francisco is deftly sketched. And the author's vision is truly Southeast Asian, in the attention to protagonist Fong Mun's family peregrinations across China, Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand; Fong Mun even lives briefly as a Thai-Chinese, under the alias Somkit. (Though the Hmong characters make for a fascinating Other, on the spatial, narrative, and psychic periphery.)

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

I almost gave this two stars. At first I got lost trying to figure out who certain characters were at the beginning of the book. Once I got further in the story picked up and I enjoyed it more. The main characters life growing up in Laos was fascinating. The dishes he ate sounded delicious or at least interesting. The characters sexual preference didn't really add or take anything away from the book. I kind of felt the summary of the book put more emphases on it then what happened in the novel. Not a bad book. Good if you have an interest in Asian cultures like I do.

[Cori Samuel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rating: 12/20.