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Twilight Territory: A Novel
The peak of the hot season, 1942: The wars in Europe and Asia and the Japanese occupation have upset the uneasy balance of French Indochina. In a small Vietnamese fishing village, Thuy ekes out a living with her aunt, cousin, and two-year-old daughter. But when Thuy meets Japanese major Yamazaki Takeshi, to her surprise, she comes to find a strange kinship with him. A wounded veteran with a good heart, he grows to resent the Empire for what it has taken—and the promises it has failed to keep.
As the Viet Minh begin to battle the French and Takeshi risks his life for the Resistance, Thuy and her family are drawn into the conflict, with devastating consequences. A lushly panoramic novel, by turns gritty and profoundly moving, Twilight Territory is a war story and a love story that offers a fascinating perspective on Vietnam’s struggles to break free of its French colonial past.
As the Viet Minh begin to battle the French and Takeshi risks his life for the Resistance, Thuy and her family are drawn into the conflict, with devastating consequences. A lushly panoramic novel, by turns gritty and profoundly moving, Twilight Territory is a war story and a love story that offers a fascinating perspective on Vietnam’s struggles to break free of its French colonial past.
1 pages, Audio CD
First published January 23, 2024
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About the author
Andrew X. Pham
7 books203 followersHammock Navigator, Wine Taster, Lord of the Desk and the Writer's Block, Keyboard Slayer and Protector of the Realm
Detailed Bio: https://www.andrewxpham.com/
Detailed Bio: https://www.andrewxpham.com/
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 523 reviews
December 23, 2023
2.5 rounded up.
Twilight Territory by Andrew X. Pham introduces readers to a captivating period in Vietnam's history, providing a unique and valuable perspective on an era with limited representation in English literature. The story delves into lesser-known events of Vietnam's recent past, making it an enlightening read for English-speaking audiences. While Pham succeeds in transporting readers to a specific time and place in Vietnam, my overall appreciation of the novel was hampered by the writing.
Pham's style often felt awkward, marked by stilted dialogue and occasional wooden expressions that hindered the flow of the story. The author's choice to include translated poems or sayings without context and the absence of diacritics for Vietnamese words created a sense of missed opportunity and detracted from the immersive experience. Historical information was also dumped on the reader intermittently, disrupting the novel's flow and drying out the narrative.
While the story is a commendable effort to share an important piece of Vietnamese history, the execution left something to be desired. Despite a vested interest in Vietnam, I felt disconnected from the story and ended up skimming large portions of the book.
I received a free ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Twilight Territory by Andrew X. Pham introduces readers to a captivating period in Vietnam's history, providing a unique and valuable perspective on an era with limited representation in English literature. The story delves into lesser-known events of Vietnam's recent past, making it an enlightening read for English-speaking audiences. While Pham succeeds in transporting readers to a specific time and place in Vietnam, my overall appreciation of the novel was hampered by the writing.
Pham's style often felt awkward, marked by stilted dialogue and occasional wooden expressions that hindered the flow of the story. The author's choice to include translated poems or sayings without context and the absence of diacritics for Vietnamese words created a sense of missed opportunity and detracted from the immersive experience. Historical information was also dumped on the reader intermittently, disrupting the novel's flow and drying out the narrative.
While the story is a commendable effort to share an important piece of Vietnamese history, the execution left something to be desired. Despite a vested interest in Vietnam, I felt disconnected from the story and ended up skimming large portions of the book.
I received a free ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
November 15, 2023
In a small Vietnamese fishing village in French Indochina, Tuyet and her aunt Coi, cousin Ha and daughter Anh all live together and her aunt runs a small shop. Tuyet is a divorced single mother, she meets Japanese major Yamazaki Takeshi, Tuyet is cautious around soldiers and she’s surprise to discover he’s different and not like the others.
Yamazaki Takeshi is from Hokkaido, he’d just finished university when he was conscripted into the Japanese army, he was severely wounded and in 1942 was transferred to oversee Thiet Airbase. Yamazaki knows the Japanese Empire is going to be defeated, it’s just a matter of time and he’s right. Yamazaki has hidden a stash of gold and precious stones, and he wants to use this to one day return to Japan, to paint and go fishing with his father and this leads to him making enemies and they won’t stop until they hunt him down and find out where he's stashed the bounty.
The Viet Minh was an Indochinese Communist Party and Resistance, they wanted independence for Vietnam, the members were anti French Jackals and Japanese Fascists, Yamazaki and Tuyet become involved. This means they spend a lot of time apart, constantly on the move and looking over their shoulders.
I received a digital copy of Twilight Territory by Andrew X. Pham from W. W. Norton & Company and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. A historical fiction saga that spans over a decade, it’s set during the Second World War, Japanese invasion and Vietnam trying to break free from colonial rule, included in the story are widespread corruption, famine and suffering, exploitation of young girls and women, rape and violence.
I really liked and admired the characters of Tuyet and Coi, both are strong, courageous and empowering women, and they had to deal with hardship, tragedy, loss and consequences of the family being involved in the resistance and with the Viet Minh, including homelessness, imprisoned and torture.
The narrative has vivid descriptions of the landscape and scenery of Vietnam, the yummy food, use of natural medicine, culture, traditions, celebrations, rituals and details of Tuyet and Yamazaki romantic relationship. I did learn a lot about French Indochina and Vietnam, I think the novel could have been shorter and four stars.
Yamazaki Takeshi is from Hokkaido, he’d just finished university when he was conscripted into the Japanese army, he was severely wounded and in 1942 was transferred to oversee Thiet Airbase. Yamazaki knows the Japanese Empire is going to be defeated, it’s just a matter of time and he’s right. Yamazaki has hidden a stash of gold and precious stones, and he wants to use this to one day return to Japan, to paint and go fishing with his father and this leads to him making enemies and they won’t stop until they hunt him down and find out where he's stashed the bounty.
The Viet Minh was an Indochinese Communist Party and Resistance, they wanted independence for Vietnam, the members were anti French Jackals and Japanese Fascists, Yamazaki and Tuyet become involved. This means they spend a lot of time apart, constantly on the move and looking over their shoulders.
I received a digital copy of Twilight Territory by Andrew X. Pham from W. W. Norton & Company and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. A historical fiction saga that spans over a decade, it’s set during the Second World War, Japanese invasion and Vietnam trying to break free from colonial rule, included in the story are widespread corruption, famine and suffering, exploitation of young girls and women, rape and violence.
I really liked and admired the characters of Tuyet and Coi, both are strong, courageous and empowering women, and they had to deal with hardship, tragedy, loss and consequences of the family being involved in the resistance and with the Viet Minh, including homelessness, imprisoned and torture.
The narrative has vivid descriptions of the landscape and scenery of Vietnam, the yummy food, use of natural medicine, culture, traditions, celebrations, rituals and details of Tuyet and Yamazaki romantic relationship. I did learn a lot about French Indochina and Vietnam, I think the novel could have been shorter and four stars.
July 19, 2024
I can’t understand how this was picked for the Big Library Read. There is little character development, there really is very little history covered, the violence is unending and very graphic, the writing is stiff, all the details seem to be unnecessary and not key to the characters or plot line, and it reads more like the audio description in movies or TV for the sight impaired than anything else
I’m not done with it yet, but can’t get motivated to finish the last 1/4 since the first 3/4s has been excruciating. Am I missing something?
I’m not done with it yet, but can’t get motivated to finish the last 1/4 since the first 3/4s has been excruciating. Am I missing something?
August 4, 2024
Original pre-review Note: For those of you who use the Libby app
Audiobook (12 hours) narrated by David Lee Huynh
David Lee Huynh did a very good job narrating this book. There were parts that were more like a history book told in a third person narrative, and he was able to stitch that in. He really made the most of those clunky writing situations, if what I mean.
The audio itself is very good, without distortion or erroneous noise. There were one or two obvious edits. The audio was very close to excellence.
If you choose to read this book, I think that the audiobook is a good option as it would be easy to speed through some of the rough parts. The narration is clear and easy to understand at all of the speeds that I tested, from 1x to 3x speed. (I generally test up to 3x speed to see how everything sounds, although I do not always mention the speeds, unless it seems a good reason to do so.)
Twilight Territory has an interesting premise. A story from the people's perspective, in war ravaged Vietnam, 1942, thirteen years before the extended 20 year Vietnam War.
This novel is written in English by a man born in Phan Thiet in 1967, in the midst of the above mentioned war, to a teacher and a laudress. Andrew X. Pham has two sisters and three younger brothers (birthdates unknown by me). His teacher dad worked in the propaganda department for the South Vietnamese Army during said war, until he was captured by the Vietcong and sent to Minh Luong Prison re-education camp for several months. Following his father, Thong's, release the family fled by boat to Malaysia, were rescued at sea by an Indonesian freighter, and brought to Indonesia. The family then spent 18 months in a refugee camp in Jakarta, where the First Baptist Church of Shreveport, Louisiana sponsored them, flying them to Louisiana. Nine months later, the family relocated to San Jose, California. Current day, the author divides his time between California, Hawaii, and Southeast Asia.
The author had a childhood that was both traumatic and fortunate, just by the cliffs notes version, above.
I feel that we are fortunate to have someone with a foot in two countries that can do a fictional recounting of what the people went through, in a way that is tangible for Americans. Bringing the story down to families, mothers, fathers, grandparents, children and pets, we can try to imagine what we would do, how we would feel if our sister were captured, our mother was beaten.
This is a story told raw. There is intense and immense violence, violation. This is war told from the streets. There is a lot of pain here. Yes, there is joy, and when it happens it is savored standing up with their backs to the wall.
The idea of the story being told is much better than the actual story, as written. The author himself penned:
The story can be found on the authors website:
https://www.andrewxpham.com/
The novel struggles at the start for a minute, then flows into a story of a potential budding romance amongst a neighborhood of close knit people, struggling together, day by day. These people aren't related by the blood of their kin, but they are related by blood. They are family.
From here the story starts to wander and gets clunky.
This novel has many voices and it just jumps to whatever is next. Sometimes it's family, sometimes it's someone in an office, sometimes it's someone in the army, sometimes it's POWs, sometimes it's just a random third person narration of the travel terrain with a description of what is going on with the war, including stats.
At times it's an easy read.
At times, my eyes are rolling back in my head and I am fighting to pay attention to what is going on.
Overall, this novel has something to say, but it never comes out and says it. What it does is feeds us information that we may not have known before, like telling us how and other examples of a normal day in the life for your average poor citizen living in the area at that time.
The stories are interesting. The family are also interesting but following the families stories is also difficult as they are broken up within the novel, and there are lots of characters. If you are like my ADHD self and have difficulty remembering names, the amount of people in the story and who goes with who and what family this might be is a tricky follow.
I wouldn't have read this book had it not popped up as a big read on Libby. I am not sorry that I did, as I have read a lot about the Vietnam War, mostly from the American side but a little bit from the Vietnam side. What I did not know is how stretched thin they already were, and so strong that as long as they had been fighting there were not beaten down, they kept going, fighting for their rights. That was worth 12 hours of my time.
2.5 stars, rounded up.
Borrow Twilight Territory to join Big Library Read, the global book club.
Big Library Read connects readers around the world with the same book at the same time. This title will be available with no waitlists or holds as an ebook or audiobook from July 11 - July 25, 2024.
Audiobook (12 hours) narrated by David Lee Huynh
David Lee Huynh did a very good job narrating this book. There were parts that were more like a history book told in a third person narrative, and he was able to stitch that in. He really made the most of those clunky writing situations, if what I mean.
The audio itself is very good, without distortion or erroneous noise. There were one or two obvious edits. The audio was very close to excellence.
If you choose to read this book, I think that the audiobook is a good option as it would be easy to speed through some of the rough parts. The narration is clear and easy to understand at all of the speeds that I tested, from 1x to 3x speed. (I generally test up to 3x speed to see how everything sounds, although I do not always mention the speeds, unless it seems a good reason to do so.)
Twilight Territory has an interesting premise. A story from the people's perspective, in war ravaged Vietnam, 1942, thirteen years before the extended 20 year Vietnam War.
This novel is written in English by a man born in Phan Thiet in 1967, in the midst of the above mentioned war, to a teacher and a laudress. Andrew X. Pham has two sisters and three younger brothers (birthdates unknown by me). His teacher dad worked in the propaganda department for the South Vietnamese Army during said war, until he was captured by the Vietcong and sent to Minh Luong Prison re-education camp for several months. Following his father, Thong's, release the family fled by boat to Malaysia, were rescued at sea by an Indonesian freighter, and brought to Indonesia. The family then spent 18 months in a refugee camp in Jakarta, where the First Baptist Church of Shreveport, Louisiana sponsored them, flying them to Louisiana. Nine months later, the family relocated to San Jose, California. Current day, the author divides his time between California, Hawaii, and Southeast Asia.
The author had a childhood that was both traumatic and fortunate, just by the cliffs notes version, above.
I feel that we are fortunate to have someone with a foot in two countries that can do a fictional recounting of what the people went through, in a way that is tangible for Americans. Bringing the story down to families, mothers, fathers, grandparents, children and pets, we can try to imagine what we would do, how we would feel if our sister were captured, our mother was beaten.
This is a story told raw. There is intense and immense violence, violation. This is war told from the streets. There is a lot of pain here. Yes, there is joy, and when it happens it is savored standing up with their backs to the wall.
The idea of the story being told is much better than the actual story, as written. The author himself penned:
Sometimes I wonder why I write when it’s such a costly endeavor for someone like myself. I do not breathe words like gifted writers. I grind them out, I chisel them from some dark granite quarry. They don’t come cheaply.
Writing is either an addiction or a curse–probably both. It’s a compulsion of some sort. Take the essay below for instance: it took several working days, nearly a week, to write; it came from experiences and observations gathered over a month; it made me sad in the writing; it earned me exactly $0 dollar.
But then my father read it, and he told me that it made him cried. He told me that it was “Great” and I had done right by our people and all that we had gone through, that I told a story that no other writer has written or will write.
That means something to me.
The story is “The Squid Sellers of Sihanoukville”.
The story can be found on the authors website:
https://www.andrewxpham.com/
The novel struggles at the start for a minute, then flows into a story of a potential budding romance amongst a neighborhood of close knit people, struggling together, day by day. These people aren't related by the blood of their kin, but they are related by blood. They are family.
From here the story starts to wander and gets clunky.
This novel has many voices and it just jumps to whatever is next. Sometimes it's family, sometimes it's someone in an office, sometimes it's someone in the army, sometimes it's POWs, sometimes it's just a random third person narration of the travel terrain with a description of what is going on with the war, including stats.
At times it's an easy read.
At times, my eyes are rolling back in my head and I am fighting to pay attention to what is going on.
Overall, this novel has something to say, but it never comes out and says it. What it does is feeds us information that we may not have known before, like telling us how and other examples of a normal day in the life for your average poor citizen living in the area at that time.
The stories are interesting. The family are also interesting but following the families stories is also difficult as they are broken up within the novel, and there are lots of characters. If you are like my ADHD self and have difficulty remembering names, the amount of people in the story and who goes with who and what family this might be is a tricky follow.
I wouldn't have read this book had it not popped up as a big read on Libby. I am not sorry that I did, as I have read a lot about the Vietnam War, mostly from the American side but a little bit from the Vietnam side. What I did not know is how stretched thin they already were, and so strong that as long as they had been fighting there were not beaten down, they kept going, fighting for their rights. That was worth 12 hours of my time.
2.5 stars, rounded up.
January 23, 2024
'It is natural; for the weak to fear the strong'.
As the years of WW2 continued to ravage Europe, in 1942 the theatre of the Pacific was just getting started. Vietnam had already contended with French colonialism and now the Japanese were making their presence felt. No one knew who to side with - or indeed if a side needed to be taken. Tuyet is happy enough with her rural subsistence running a shop with her aunt, cousin, and daughter, but her relative peace is upended when the local Japanese officer, Yamazaki Takeshi takes an interest in her. Just what will it take to survive?
'Twilight Territory' is a story of love: love between two people, love for your friends and family, and love for your country. As political stability continues to be vacuumed out of Vietnam, choices are constricted and hardship is magnified. Pham has put together a dense story that is well-researched. I enjoyed learning more about the tumultuous events that eventually led to the Vietnam War.
Chaos, corruption, and camaraderie are the three defining words to summate this novel.
As the years of WW2 continued to ravage Europe, in 1942 the theatre of the Pacific was just getting started. Vietnam had already contended with French colonialism and now the Japanese were making their presence felt. No one knew who to side with - or indeed if a side needed to be taken. Tuyet is happy enough with her rural subsistence running a shop with her aunt, cousin, and daughter, but her relative peace is upended when the local Japanese officer, Yamazaki Takeshi takes an interest in her. Just what will it take to survive?
'Twilight Territory' is a story of love: love between two people, love for your friends and family, and love for your country. As political stability continues to be vacuumed out of Vietnam, choices are constricted and hardship is magnified. Pham has put together a dense story that is well-researched. I enjoyed learning more about the tumultuous events that eventually led to the Vietnam War.
Chaos, corruption, and camaraderie are the three defining words to summate this novel.
July 15, 2024
4.5 stars ⭐️
Got this book as part of the “Big Library Read”.
Warning for graphic descriptions of animal violence, torture, and sexual assault, including minors.
There is something beautifully direct about the writing style (minus some fat-shaming on the part of the narrator); it’s observational, with deeply detailed descriptions reserved for scenes of high emotion. And I appreciate the Vietnamese people are not positioned as pitiable, unintelligent, or spiritless, though they were (and had been for some time) under the thumb of French rule and are often presented this way in American text books. They are also not a monolith in behaviors or political opinions.
From a character perspective, everyone is generally out for themselves, so their relationships feel realistic:
Yamazaki is smart, we’re told he’s gifted but then also shown his foresight — he cares deeply, as shown by his actions, and is not a one-sided “good” character (there’s a little moral grey happening). He takes advantage of opportunities, and becomes more real as a result.
And Tuyet is so smart in different ways, they complement one another well — she doesn’t trust easily, she’s observant, and was quickly thrown into survival mode with a child to support, but she is extremely hard working. When she does allow herself to trust, it means more than if she’d been immediately smitten with Yamazaki. And when she does get knocked down, when she is broken, you understand just how deep the emotional toll must go; she represents the unique suffering of women. Her character gives depth to many of the facts which could read as cold and superficial on the page — the violence of war, a child’s passing, a storefront destroyed.
Also…aiya! This book sent me to Google enough times to ruin my algorithm in research, and I hope it did the same for others. Because I’m now kind of ashamed at how little I knew about the French colonization of Vietnam (among other areas) and their battle for independence.
This book has a melancholy overtone, so I don’t see myself returning to it. It touched on important topics; narratively, it could have stood to be a tad shorter. But overall glad it was offered as part of the Big Library Read program — I really do hope it gets minds turning.
Got this book as part of the “Big Library Read”.
Warning for graphic descriptions of animal violence, torture, and sexual assault, including minors.
There is something beautifully direct about the writing style (minus some fat-shaming on the part of the narrator); it’s observational, with deeply detailed descriptions reserved for scenes of high emotion. And I appreciate the Vietnamese people are not positioned as pitiable, unintelligent, or spiritless, though they were (and had been for some time) under the thumb of French rule and are often presented this way in American text books. They are also not a monolith in behaviors or political opinions.
From a character perspective, everyone is generally out for themselves, so their relationships feel realistic:
Yamazaki is smart, we’re told he’s gifted but then also shown his foresight — he cares deeply, as shown by his actions, and is not a one-sided “good” character (there’s a little moral grey happening). He takes advantage of opportunities, and becomes more real as a result.
And Tuyet is so smart in different ways, they complement one another well — she doesn’t trust easily, she’s observant, and was quickly thrown into survival mode with a child to support, but she is extremely hard working. When she does allow herself to trust, it means more than if she’d been immediately smitten with Yamazaki. And when she does get knocked down, when she is broken, you understand just how deep the emotional toll must go; she represents the unique suffering of women. Her character gives depth to many of the facts which could read as cold and superficial on the page — the violence of war, a child’s passing, a storefront destroyed.
Also…aiya! This book sent me to Google enough times to ruin my algorithm in research, and I hope it did the same for others. Because I’m now kind of ashamed at how little I knew about the French colonization of Vietnam (among other areas) and their battle for independence.
This book has a melancholy overtone, so I don’t see myself returning to it. It touched on important topics; narratively, it could have stood to be a tad shorter. But overall glad it was offered as part of the Big Library Read program — I really do hope it gets minds turning.
January 4, 2025
If you came here expecting your run-of-the-mill colonizer romance, you'll be disappointed. The first part of this book captivated me. That slowly dwindled.
It is 1942. Japanese occupation has taken over French Indochina. This is a time period I know little about, but one my grandparents survived. They speak fondly enough of the French. No one likes the Japanese.
Tuyet lives with her aunt, cousin, and daughter. When a Japanese major comes to visit her, she thinks the worst. So did I. In the scheme of things, it actually doesn't turn out that bad. If you look at it in a different manner, not much can go worse. Pain is relative. What you choose you can survive is the same.
📱 Thank you to NetGalley and W. W. Norton & Company
It is 1942. Japanese occupation has taken over French Indochina. This is a time period I know little about, but one my grandparents survived. They speak fondly enough of the French. No one likes the Japanese.
Tuyet lives with her aunt, cousin, and daughter. When a Japanese major comes to visit her, she thinks the worst. So did I. In the scheme of things, it actually doesn't turn out that bad. If you look at it in a different manner, not much can go worse. Pain is relative. What you choose you can survive is the same.
📱 Thank you to NetGalley and W. W. Norton & Company
June 13, 2025
Only read this book if you need something deeply sad. I must've needed to be sad because I read it twice back-to-back.
I think someone from my Goodreads friends recommended this book to me. Thank you! I learned a lot from this. I've complained before about how so many of the books I've read on Vietnam and the Vietnam War is told from the US veteran's viewpoint. I've been searching out these books told from the Vietnamese point of view. This was everything I was looking for - about the war, about the culture, about the people, about the history, and so much more. And the second reading only added to it. Highly recommend! But again, only if you need to be sad.
I think someone from my Goodreads friends recommended this book to me. Thank you! I learned a lot from this. I've complained before about how so many of the books I've read on Vietnam and the Vietnam War is told from the US veteran's viewpoint. I've been searching out these books told from the Vietnamese point of view. This was everything I was looking for - about the war, about the culture, about the people, about the history, and so much more. And the second reading only added to it. Highly recommend! But again, only if you need to be sad.
July 23, 2024
I had high hopes for this book.
It’s a national library read.
It simply didn’t hold my interest.
I was hoping to learn more about this period of history but it seemed more like a romance novel.
Felt like a missed opportunity.
Also an unnecessarily detailed, sexualized, and long description of a teen human trafficking victim’s body. Was odd and not needed to know the character was a predator.
Stopped at 25%
I Would be open to suggestions for better treatment of the time period. Historical fiction or nonfiction.
It’s a national library read.
It simply didn’t hold my interest.
I was hoping to learn more about this period of history but it seemed more like a romance novel.
Felt like a missed opportunity.
Also an unnecessarily detailed, sexualized, and long description of a teen human trafficking victim’s body. Was odd and not needed to know the character was a predator.
Stopped at 25%
I Would be open to suggestions for better treatment of the time period. Historical fiction or nonfiction.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 14, 2024
This fictional story based on true memories from the author’s grandmother gave me a glimpse of a history I knew nothing about! Post WW2 war in Vietnam told through the complicated lives of its people and the war that they had to (figuratively & literally) fight was not a happy one. Every page compelled me to turn the next page only to find out yet another character had been injured, kidnapped raped, beaten or killed.
Written extensively with what I thought, the intention of ‘shocking’ its readers, I have a new respect for the Nation that truly could not be helped, only harmed, by France and (the secrecy of) Japan that also involved in being the enemy/victor(?).
I loved it. I hated it. I cried. I hoped. I learned.
Written extensively with what I thought, the intention of ‘shocking’ its readers, I have a new respect for the Nation that truly could not be helped, only harmed, by France and (the secrecy of) Japan that also involved in being the enemy/victor(?).
I loved it. I hated it. I cried. I hoped. I learned.
July 16, 2024
So this book was a bit like watching a movie through frosted glass at fast forward. The characters are remote feeling… I had the hardest time trying to know them or care for them.
I will say the action scenes I felt were fast and engaging… but anything else was almost like a listing of places events actions etc. there were no descriptions to make the environment tangible and the dialogue was stilted and choppy between the characters… like they were reading lines in a play or something.
There were also some very descriptive things that were a bit off putting … for example there is a ‘love story’ but no intimacy is expounded upon (which is fine) between the ‘main’ couple … and that’s ok it’s just by contrast there is a very graphically described sex scene between a pedophile and described underaged girl … which was not necessary to the story … we could get he was a gross bad man without that.
A lot of interesting history is covered (I’ve read other books based on this time period snd place) but it’s fine in a removed impersonal tone … listing dates and events as almost as if it’s an afterthought.
I really wanted to like this book… I really really tried to get to know and care about the main characters and the things they were going through… it’s just the way it was written I could not.
It was not a terrible book… it was more of an ‘meh’ read. I rounded this up to 3 stars because I did find some of the pages engaging at times… I just found the love story practically non existent. I felt no attachment or affection or investment in the main characters or their supposed ‘love’.
The history covered was interesting but not compellingly written.
I think I prefer my historical fiction more descriptively written… so maybe this writer just isn’t for me
I will say the action scenes I felt were fast and engaging… but anything else was almost like a listing of places events actions etc. there were no descriptions to make the environment tangible and the dialogue was stilted and choppy between the characters… like they were reading lines in a play or something.
There were also some very descriptive things that were a bit off putting … for example there is a ‘love story’ but no intimacy is expounded upon (which is fine) between the ‘main’ couple … and that’s ok it’s just by contrast there is a very graphically described sex scene between a pedophile and described underaged girl … which was not necessary to the story … we could get he was a gross bad man without that.
A lot of interesting history is covered (I’ve read other books based on this time period snd place) but it’s fine in a removed impersonal tone … listing dates and events as almost as if it’s an afterthought.
I really wanted to like this book… I really really tried to get to know and care about the main characters and the things they were going through… it’s just the way it was written I could not.
It was not a terrible book… it was more of an ‘meh’ read. I rounded this up to 3 stars because I did find some of the pages engaging at times… I just found the love story practically non existent. I felt no attachment or affection or investment in the main characters or their supposed ‘love’.
The history covered was interesting but not compellingly written.
I think I prefer my historical fiction more descriptively written… so maybe this writer just isn’t for me
March 1, 2024
Twilight Territory came out of nowhere for me, and it absolutely blew me away. Taking place in Vietnam after World War II (but before the Vietnam War), this tale is eye opening and shockingly violent.
Pham doesn't pull any punches with the atrocities of war, committed by any side. I knew, but didn't understand, the depths of what really happened within the Pacific Theater during and immediately after WWII.
Five dangerously brilliant stars.
Pham doesn't pull any punches with the atrocities of war, committed by any side. I knew, but didn't understand, the depths of what really happened within the Pacific Theater during and immediately after WWII.
Five dangerously brilliant stars.
June 3, 2024
2.75
03/12/24
The writing was... stiff. I did not think the author was much of a story teller. His word choices were weird.
03/27/24
Ok, I picked this back up and was able to finish it. I think I got invested by page 130-160. While I was not in love with the writing, I was interested in the history of Vietnam during end of WWII. Learning about how many nations tried to colonize the country. I also was not that invested into the main characters. They were fine. The main couple miraculously do not die at the end. The husband makes it back home to Japan and the woman decides to stay in Vietnam.
03/12/24
The writing was... stiff. I did not think the author was much of a story teller. His word choices were weird.
03/27/24
Ok, I picked this back up and was able to finish it. I think I got invested by page 130-160. While I was not in love with the writing, I was interested in the history of Vietnam during end of WWII. Learning about how many nations tried to colonize the country. I also was not that invested into the main characters. They were fine. The main couple miraculously do not die at the end. The husband makes it back home to Japan and the woman decides to stay in Vietnam.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 22, 2024
The writing was choppy with weird adjective choices. Did not flow well at all, in fact a lot of times it didn’t make any sense. I was super interested in the history of the book but the characters themselves were hard to connect with. Not a great read. I had a hard time staying interested and a hard time actually finishing the book.
March 4, 2024
I picked up ‘Twilight Territory’ on a whim while browsing the ‘New’ section at the library. I love historical fiction and my knowledge about what was going on during and post WW2 in Vietnam is very limited, so I thought it would be an interesting read. On that count I was right. I found this book to be very educational and I came away from it with more of an understanding of this small snippet of Vietnam’s history. Pham is an excellent writer. His prose was very easily consumable. I will say that there were some passages that were a large info dump of facts and historical context, but with the breadth of the story and complexities of the country of Vietnam at the time, perhaps that’s unavoidable to a certain extent.
The main issue I had with the book takes place right near the beginning. There is a scene in which a French military officer rapes a 16 year old girl which is described in a way which further sexualizes this child and really gave me a bad impression from the start. Lines like “her frame as lithe as a dancer’s, her bearing as untutored as a child’s” or “the elegant compactness of her girlish body”. There are even more examples that I could give, which for a scene that takes place within maybe 3 or 4 pages is quite alarming. If this was something written in the 1st person I could maybe give more leeway. In that case, you could make the argument that these are the officers thoughts about the child. Writing this in the 3rd person just made me feel like the author either consciously or unconsciously wanted this exchange between a 16 year old Vietnamese girl and around 40(?) year old French officer to be titillating on some level. There is a lot of evidence throughout the rest of the book that Pham does care about the women in his life, women’s perspectives, and the plights of women, which led me to be even more disappointed in this scene.
I really did appreciate the level of depth that the women characters received in ‘Twilight Territory’. The reader experiences so many seasons of Tuyet’s life and while Takeshi’s perspective was explored, I felt that Tuyet and Coi’s lives as women were the true focus of this book. I was honestly surprised about the lack of judgement that women seemed to receive in terms of their marital status among other things. I am not saying there was no sexism in this book, the fact that I am really talking about the lack of judgement from peers in the community. So many common people were willing to help a raped woman or a woman with no husband with no real discussion about prejudice or stigmas against those women, which is not the case in so many other places. Of course, I don’t know how accurate this book is to how real life was at the time, but it makes me want to learn more about Vietnam’s views on these issues both historically and currently.
In my mind, the best books are books that make you think, learn a little something, as well as ignite an interest to want to learn more and ‘Twilight Territory’ checked all those boxes for me.
The main issue I had with the book takes place right near the beginning. There is a scene in which a French military officer rapes a 16 year old girl which is described in a way which further sexualizes this child and really gave me a bad impression from the start. Lines like “her frame as lithe as a dancer’s, her bearing as untutored as a child’s” or “the elegant compactness of her girlish body”. There are even more examples that I could give, which for a scene that takes place within maybe 3 or 4 pages is quite alarming. If this was something written in the 1st person I could maybe give more leeway. In that case, you could make the argument that these are the officers thoughts about the child. Writing this in the 3rd person just made me feel like the author either consciously or unconsciously wanted this exchange between a 16 year old Vietnamese girl and around 40(?) year old French officer to be titillating on some level. There is a lot of evidence throughout the rest of the book that Pham does care about the women in his life, women’s perspectives, and the plights of women, which led me to be even more disappointed in this scene.
I really did appreciate the level of depth that the women characters received in ‘Twilight Territory’. The reader experiences so many seasons of Tuyet’s life and while Takeshi’s perspective was explored, I felt that Tuyet and Coi’s lives as women were the true focus of this book. I was honestly surprised about the lack of judgement that women seemed to receive in terms of their marital status among other things. I am not saying there was no sexism in this book, the fact that I am really talking about the lack of judgement from peers in the community. So many common people were willing to help a raped woman or a woman with no husband with no real discussion about prejudice or stigmas against those women, which is not the case in so many other places. Of course, I don’t know how accurate this book is to how real life was at the time, but it makes me want to learn more about Vietnam’s views on these issues both historically and currently.
In my mind, the best books are books that make you think, learn a little something, as well as ignite an interest to want to learn more and ‘Twilight Territory’ checked all those boxes for me.
July 13, 2024
A fantastic, historical fiction epic story, set at time/place I didn’t know about: alternately French-, Japanese- and British-controlled Vietnam.
Awesome microcosm story of a woman trying to survive against the macro story of Vietnam in multiple colonial occupations. Recommend!
Awesome microcosm story of a woman trying to survive against the macro story of Vietnam in multiple colonial occupations. Recommend!
April 11, 2024
Twighlight Territory is a beautiful story encompassing the most complicated parts of the human experience. Andrew X. Pham takes his readers on a journey spanning over a decade. We see how life's ebbs change the characters and how the choices of the characters affect the flow. Pham makes the devastation of both war and love palpable. One of the best works of Asian American literature I have ever read.
July 30, 2024
Part of library big reads I gave it a go and glad I did a insitful look in to Vietnam occupation and war from the story's of women involved .
I enjoyed it it's dark and moving
I enjoyed it it's dark and moving
July 29, 2024
I enjoyed the first part of the book, and found it to be quite interesting. However, my interest waned in the second half. The second half is quite sad. I can handle sad books, but the connections created in the first part were not strong enough for me to maintain the relationship in the second half. I do appreciate having a different look at the Vietnam and what lead up to the military occupation.
How did this book find me? It was the selection for the Topeka and Shawnee County Big Read.
How did this book find me? It was the selection for the Topeka and Shawnee County Big Read.
July 24, 2024
Would be nice if Big Library Read would add a note that this is an R rated book.
Actually would be nice if they chose non r-rated books since they are pushing this on all library users.
Actually would be nice if they chose non r-rated books since they are pushing this on all library users.
July 19, 2024
This “Big Library Read” title, intended to connect book club readers throughout the world, was a disappointment to me. I typically enjoy historical fiction, and this novel, described as “at once a war story and a love story that offers a fascinating perspective on Vietnam’s struggles to break free of its French Colonial past”, inspired by some events in the life of the author’s maternal grandmother intrigued me.
I put it down after Chapter 5. Sexual abuse, torture, and some pretty nasty characters had already been introduced and I just didn’t want to read any more.
I put it down after Chapter 5. Sexual abuse, torture, and some pretty nasty characters had already been introduced and I just didn’t want to read any more.
July 30, 2024
2 stars, but only for the potential. DNF at 27%. I picked this audiobook up because it was the "library read-along" book pick in the Libby app. I was intrigued as it was Asian fiction, which I tend to really like, and normally the book club selections are great. I think the author was trying to write a sweeping, epic story along the lines of "Beasts of a Little Land" or "Pachinko" but the execution was just not there. It was very clear that it was the direction the book was trying to go, but the author spent very little time actually developing the characters and their stories and building their relationships, and instead spent massive amounts of time describing surroundings and other things that just were not necessary to focus on. I was actually very surprised to learn that this book was not a debut by a first-time author, as it reads like a first attempt. I cannot help but feel that if the author had a better editor who was able to help flush out the characters and dialogue more, and fill in the plotline gaps that were just glossed over between long, flowery diatribes describing what something looks like, this book would have been much improved, as the concept has lots of potential. As is, I could not continue past a few hours in the audiobook.
July 26, 2024
I listened to this autiobook at the beach because the library and book store close before 6 on Fridays and I couldn’t make it there, but I’m glad that it gave me the opportunity to listen to this on Libby, which is a great app btw. This book was really good, at least at the start. I really liked the characters and I was excited to learn about Vietnam during WWII and the years that followed. The ending dragged on a bit, and it was sad and disappointing , but I guess that’s kind of the point. I didn’t realize how great the colonial impact of the French was in Vietnam and it was enlightening to see how they abused the people there. The book did a good job teaching the reader, or listener in my case, about Vietnam while still telling a loving story of family and perseverance. I really admired the characters, and enjoyed hearing their story. I would definitely recommend this to others who enjoy historical fiction about families and war.
dnf
July 19, 2024I was seduced by cover love. It's a gorgeous cover and I just had to read it. Besides it was free on Libby with the Big Library Read so what was there to lose? - time. It felt stilted and didn't grab my attention.
August 3, 2024
Twilight Territory was the libraries pick for July, offering it without a wait time…Interesting.
I have read several historical fiction stories set in Asian Pacific states. Each have addressed the horrors of war and humans ability for both great evil and resilience, which is expected and am happy to recommend other books.
What is not expected is an author who puts more effort in describing a teenage girl’s naked body and repeated images of beating and killing animals than in the storyline and characters themselves. The main characters fall flat; they are described going through their lives, but little to no interaction with their thoughts, feelings, growth, and/or deterioration. This is even further problematic in that the plot driven book does not give an in depth look at the Vietnamese history. The author implored graphic images to evoke the reader’s emotions and leave a lasting impression. Unfortunately, these scenes did not aid the plot or character development making them seem in poor taste and even grotesque; leaving the audience in a place of distress.
Problematic / Triggers
1. Sexualizing teenage girls
2. Detailed description of pedophilia / Rape
3. Repeated Animal Cruelty and death
I have read several historical fiction stories set in Asian Pacific states. Each have addressed the horrors of war and humans ability for both great evil and resilience, which is expected and am happy to recommend other books.
What is not expected is an author who puts more effort in describing a teenage girl’s naked body and repeated images of beating and killing animals than in the storyline and characters themselves. The main characters fall flat; they are described going through their lives, but little to no interaction with their thoughts, feelings, growth, and/or deterioration. This is even further problematic in that the plot driven book does not give an in depth look at the Vietnamese history. The author implored graphic images to evoke the reader’s emotions and leave a lasting impression. Unfortunately, these scenes did not aid the plot or character development making them seem in poor taste and even grotesque; leaving the audience in a place of distress.
Problematic / Triggers
1. Sexualizing teenage girls
2. Detailed description of pedophilia / Rape
3. Repeated Animal Cruelty and death
July 28, 2024
I liked it a fair amount. Ran through periods of Veitnam history that I've never really understood. The story was a bit difficult to follow as the characters went through their own deals. The fighting scenes (i.e. war scenes, chase scenes) were very tense and I enjoyed them.
July 19, 2024
The novel is eye-opening from a historical and cultural perspective, and worth reading just to learn more about the Viet people and an extremely challenging period in time. The writing, however sympathetic, unfortunately is a bit wooden, although not completely without some descriptive highlights. The story definitely pulls on the emotional heartstrings.
August 4, 2024
2.5 - I wanted to like this but I did not. The exposition/historical background was jarringly distinct from the plot, so much so that it felt like two separate books. I get it—the Western world is hideously undereducated in matters of Asian history, so we do need context, but I wish it was integrated more creatively.
July 21, 2024
I read, actually listened to the audiobook, because i have always had an interest in Viet Nam. The book was well read and parts were beautiful. Other parts seemed somewhat choppy and hard to follow, perhaps in part due to my dearth of knowledge of the history of the country. The main characters were underdeveloped and forgettable. While the sexual violence might have been accurately represented, it seemed unnecessarily graphic.
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