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Lotusland
2025 Foreword Indies Book of the Year Award Finalist
More than a decade since its original publication, Lotusland remains one of the only works of fiction by a US author to bridge the literary gap between the Vietnam War and contemporary Vietnam.
Nathan Monroe is a 28-year-old American living in Saigon who falls in love with a talented and ambitious Vietnamese painter. When he faces crises of love and his own ambitions, his safety net appears in the form of Anthony, an old domineering friend in Hanoi who runs a successful real estate firm. Only much later does Nathan discover that Anthony has plans for him which clash with his desire to integrate into Vietnamese life. Little do they know what lies in store for them after Anthony recklessly takes both of their futures into his own hands.
With lyrical prose and an eye on the social dynamics of a culture undergoing great change, Lotusland dramatizes the power imbalances between Westerners living abroad, and between Westerners and Vietnamese – in love and friendship, in the consequences of war, and in the pursuit of dreams.
The revised anniversary edition contains a new foreword, two author interviews, and an author essay on writing about Vietnam.
More than a decade since its original publication, Lotusland remains one of the only works of fiction by a US author to bridge the literary gap between the Vietnam War and contemporary Vietnam.
Nathan Monroe is a 28-year-old American living in Saigon who falls in love with a talented and ambitious Vietnamese painter. When he faces crises of love and his own ambitions, his safety net appears in the form of Anthony, an old domineering friend in Hanoi who runs a successful real estate firm. Only much later does Nathan discover that Anthony has plans for him which clash with his desire to integrate into Vietnamese life. Little do they know what lies in store for them after Anthony recklessly takes both of their futures into his own hands.
With lyrical prose and an eye on the social dynamics of a culture undergoing great change, Lotusland dramatizes the power imbalances between Westerners living abroad, and between Westerners and Vietnamese – in love and friendship, in the consequences of war, and in the pursuit of dreams.
The revised anniversary edition contains a new foreword, two author interviews, and an author essay on writing about Vietnam.
340 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 2015
About the author
David Joiner
4 books111 followersDavid Joiner is the 2024 International Rubery Book Award Winner in Fiction for his novel The Heron Catchers, published by Stone Bridge Press. The novel is the second in a planned series of novels set in Ishikawa prefecture, and was also a finalist in the 2023 American Writing Awards, the 2023 Next Generation Indie Book Awards, and the 2023 Foreword Indies Book of the Year Award. In January 2022, Stone Bridge Press also published his novel, Kanazawa, which was a finalist for the 2022 Foreword Indies Book of the Year Award. His debut novel Lotusland, originally published in 2015 by Guernica Editions, was re-issued in a revised edition in early 2025 and was named once again as a finalist for the 2025 Foreword Indies Book of the Year Award.
David first came to Asia in 1991 on a five-month study program in Sapporo, Japan. He followed that in 1994 with a one-year volunteer teaching job in Vietnam, when he became the first American since the end of the Vietnam War to live and work in Dong Nai province. He has spent over 12 years in Vietnam, having made his home in HCMC, Ha Noi, Mui Ne, and Bien Hoa.
In Japan, he has lived in Sapporo, Akita, Tokyo, Fukui, and Kanazawa, and in 2017 he and his wife bought and renovated a traditional Japanese house in an old craft village in Yamanaka Onsen, a 1300-year-old hot spring resort that the haiku poet Basho helped make famous.
For more about David and his writing, please visit david-joiner.com
David first came to Asia in 1991 on a five-month study program in Sapporo, Japan. He followed that in 1994 with a one-year volunteer teaching job in Vietnam, when he became the first American since the end of the Vietnam War to live and work in Dong Nai province. He has spent over 12 years in Vietnam, having made his home in HCMC, Ha Noi, Mui Ne, and Bien Hoa.
In Japan, he has lived in Sapporo, Akita, Tokyo, Fukui, and Kanazawa, and in 2017 he and his wife bought and renovated a traditional Japanese house in an old craft village in Yamanaka Onsen, a 1300-year-old hot spring resort that the haiku poet Basho helped make famous.
For more about David and his writing, please visit david-joiner.com
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
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January 29, 2026I just happened to re-read Lotusland the other day. It was better than I remembered! (Always a relief as an author...)
July 11, 2015
A well written story which explores the relationships between two expatriate American men living in Vietnam, both their relationships to each other and the local women they marry/befriend.
One, a struggling writer who considers getting into the commercial business of his friend (because he needs to make money), only too easily thwarted by a new relationship with a traditional lacquer artist and gallery owner Le, in the weeks before he should leave Saigon and move to Hanoi, where the business is based.
The other Anthony, now a successful business owner, husband and father of two children, though barely in control of his rapid success or family life, unsure whether he can rely on his friend, though he needs him for more than just for work reasons.
The couples are like the escaped and the escapee, almost doomed from the beginning as they represent that often classic situation of the allure of a foreign culture, where the objective of the individuals are the opposite to each other despite the attraction.
It's an often painful, uncomfortable read as Joiner makes no excuses for his characters and we witness that selfish aspect of humanity in which every person appears to want something from the other and rarely puts the needs of the other before their own.
I particularly enjoyed how the author was able to evoke the sense of being in Hanoi, a city I adore and was quickly transported back to through his attention to providing a sense of place.
I was shocked to find myself at the final page, an abrupt ending that leaves the reader with much to think about and likely to provoke many interesting discussions about the mix of post-war opportunity, life in foreign cultures, immigration and whether/how it is possible to overcome the culture clash within a relationship.
My complete review here at Word by Word.
One, a struggling writer who considers getting into the commercial business of his friend (because he needs to make money), only too easily thwarted by a new relationship with a traditional lacquer artist and gallery owner Le, in the weeks before he should leave Saigon and move to Hanoi, where the business is based.
The other Anthony, now a successful business owner, husband and father of two children, though barely in control of his rapid success or family life, unsure whether he can rely on his friend, though he needs him for more than just for work reasons.
The couples are like the escaped and the escapee, almost doomed from the beginning as they represent that often classic situation of the allure of a foreign culture, where the objective of the individuals are the opposite to each other despite the attraction.
It's an often painful, uncomfortable read as Joiner makes no excuses for his characters and we witness that selfish aspect of humanity in which every person appears to want something from the other and rarely puts the needs of the other before their own.
I particularly enjoyed how the author was able to evoke the sense of being in Hanoi, a city I adore and was quickly transported back to through his attention to providing a sense of place.
I was shocked to find myself at the final page, an abrupt ending that leaves the reader with much to think about and likely to provoke many interesting discussions about the mix of post-war opportunity, life in foreign cultures, immigration and whether/how it is possible to overcome the culture clash within a relationship.
My complete review here at Word by Word.
March 4, 2015
This was a really engaging and well written book. This book focuses on two American males and two Vietnamese females, all living in Vietnam. As an American expat myself, I found the two main American characters to be incredibly realistic in the way they acted, their views of Vietnam and Vietnamese, etc. The thing that really struck me though was how incredibly self centered all four of these characters were. I don't know that there was a single moment in the book when any of those four characters did anything that wasn't going to directly benefit themselves. There are moments when it appears one character is doing something nice, such as loaning money, helping apply for a visa, etc., but it always comes back to a selfish motivation. Even when one of the American characters visits a hospital of Agent Orange victims, he only appears to want to write about them to further his career as a journalist.
Overall an interesting read, but please know that there are lots of expats that actually love and care about the countries they are living in. Even American expats.
Overall an interesting read, but please know that there are lots of expats that actually love and care about the countries they are living in. Even American expats.
December 14, 2021
I'll confess I was pre-disposed to like this book. I lived in Vietnam for six months, found the country both fascinating and enigmatic, the people endearing but conflicted. There's a constant tug-of-war between the traditional and modern, the indigenous culture and the disruptive external forces which Vietnam has been subjected to for hundreds of years via colonial conquest and wars.
What I was not prepared for and in the end exhilarated by was the superb writing/storytelling, how beautifully and artfully this author portrayed both the two American expats who were central to the story and their Vietnamese love interests, and the unexpected twists which unfolded as the two main characters pursued very different dreams, and tried to adjust their friendship accordingly.
Living in Vietnam means living by very different rules. There are enormous opportunities and at the same time some unusual, totally unexpected challenges. It's a perfect place to either discover yourself, or lose yourself. If you've never lived there or thought of living there, this is the perfect book for a vicarious adventure in a truly unique and engaging land.
What I was not prepared for and in the end exhilarated by was the superb writing/storytelling, how beautifully and artfully this author portrayed both the two American expats who were central to the story and their Vietnamese love interests, and the unexpected twists which unfolded as the two main characters pursued very different dreams, and tried to adjust their friendship accordingly.
Living in Vietnam means living by very different rules. There are enormous opportunities and at the same time some unusual, totally unexpected challenges. It's a perfect place to either discover yourself, or lose yourself. If you've never lived there or thought of living there, this is the perfect book for a vicarious adventure in a truly unique and engaging land.
March 5, 2015
Joiner is an excellent writer who doesn't waste a single word - his spare, skilful prose paints a compelling picture of expat life in a fast-changing Vietnam. Lotusland is a story that will stay with you. It's so beautifully written that you'll come to care about the characters - even if you don't admire them.
The story follows the experiences of two very different American expat men in Hanoi. The main character, Nathan, is an idealistic young writer who is determined to understand his new home. In contrast, his friend Anthony is there to get rich quick. He's married a local beauty and established a thriving real estate company.
When Nathan falls for Le, an intriguing Vietnamese lacquer painter, he's dismayed that she's eager to leave Vietnam because she feels she'd have more opportunities in America. Anthony wants out too - he feels trapped in a loveless marriage and can't even communicate with his own children.
The novel does a wonderful job of revealing the temptations faced by wealthy expats in poor countries and their moral decay. Having lived in Vietnam for 20 years, I find most books by non-Vietnamese authors set in Vietnam to be highly inauthentic. Lotusland is an exception - Joiner has produced a vivid and wholly believable portrayal of interconnecting lives in developing Vietnam.
The story follows the experiences of two very different American expat men in Hanoi. The main character, Nathan, is an idealistic young writer who is determined to understand his new home. In contrast, his friend Anthony is there to get rich quick. He's married a local beauty and established a thriving real estate company.
When Nathan falls for Le, an intriguing Vietnamese lacquer painter, he's dismayed that she's eager to leave Vietnam because she feels she'd have more opportunities in America. Anthony wants out too - he feels trapped in a loveless marriage and can't even communicate with his own children.
The novel does a wonderful job of revealing the temptations faced by wealthy expats in poor countries and their moral decay. Having lived in Vietnam for 20 years, I find most books by non-Vietnamese authors set in Vietnam to be highly inauthentic. Lotusland is an exception - Joiner has produced a vivid and wholly believable portrayal of interconnecting lives in developing Vietnam.
April 20, 2015
Simply put, this is a great book! I don't read novels all that often (I'm a periodical guy), but I have to say this one was a great read!! Not only was the story great, but the ideas and themes are poignant. I think if you read this book you will see yourself in the characters and settings, regardless if you have been to Vietnam or not. Just some preview - it is set in Vietnam, involves a writer, real estate agent, painter, politics, relationships, and the search for who we are as people. When great plots, characters, themes, and writing come together, can't help but turn the page!
Get yourself a copy (or two)! You can get one (or more) from Amazon.com, or from Guernica Editions (the publisher) - http://www.guernicaeditions.com/title....
Happy reading!
Get yourself a copy (or two)! You can get one (or more) from Amazon.com, or from Guernica Editions (the publisher) - http://www.guernicaeditions.com/title....
Happy reading!
March 10, 2022
Love this book. Not only because of the story and the quirky, interesting characters; I learned a lot about post Viet Nam war and its effects on Viet Nam both country economics and most of all, the people. The imagery and mood are created beautifully through some very poetic wording.
February 10, 2015
A canny look into the nature of the Western expat--I was taken with the two characters, one who is making an effort to understand the country he is in, the other who is there to exploit it. I have never seen the nature of being a privileged western expat portrayed so accurately or with such moral force. The picture Joiner paints of Vietnam is also rich, complex, and haunting.
January 7, 2022
I didn’t want this book to end, and that’s a wonderful feeling. You can’t help but have mixed feelings about EVERYONE in the book. To be clear, I did not “like” any of the characters. Maybe that’s what made the world of Lotusland feel real. Can’t wait for the author to write something else!
July 12, 2015
In this beautifully written novel, which evokes the exotic beauty as well as the seediness of Vietnam so well, David Joiner uses interwoven plots (rather than the conventional plot and subplot) to focus on trust in different kinds of relationships. The story starts with an intriguing meeting between an enigmatic young Vietnamese woman, Le, and a young American writer, Nathan. There is tension, both erotic and personal, between the two from the moment they meet, and Nathan finds himself rather reluctantly agreeing to Le's proposal that he help her apply for an immigrant's visa to the States, in return for being his girlfriend. Cynical as this arrangement sounds, it is complicated by Nathan's deepening feelings for Le, and her elusiveness and secrecy, as well as her apparent reluctance to honor the terms of the agreement. What's more, Nathan has agreed to help his old friend Anthony, whom he owes a considerable sum, run his real estate company in Hanoi--far away from Saigon, where Le lives. So Nathan is torn between love and the promise he has given to his friend, between the desire to write and the need to make a living--and perhaps above all, between the words people utter--including himself--and what they really mean. If he has good reason to mistrust Le, Anthony has good reason to mistrust him. As Joiner pushes his characters into predicaments in which, finally, they are forced to confront who they really are and what their friendships and loves are really worth, we learn a great deal about life in Vietnam (a country I have not lived in but have visited) with all its contradictions, corruption, and often heart-rending beauty. Particularly poignant and moving are Lotusland's fascinating evocation of Vietnamese lacquer painting and of the horrors of Agent Orange, the chemical weapon the US government used there during the war, which continues to cause suffering even today. This is a big novel in scope, not simply a coming of age story about young people trying to find themselves in love and art and work, but equally the story of a country struggling to find its identity. With prose reminiscent of James Salter's, with its taut lyricism, and themes of human corruption reminiscent of Graham Greene, and of eroticism reminiscent of Marguerite Duras, this novel truly belongs on a shelf with The Quiet American, The Lover, or Duong The Huong's Novel Without a Name. In other words, it is a classic. Highly recommended.
November 2, 2015
Lotusland is one of the few books on Vietnam that is written by an American, and offers fresh insights into contemporary Vietnam. Ostensibly it’s a love story about an idealistic young English teacher, Nathan who has who has fallen for a beautiful Vietnamese lacquer artist whom he suspects may just be using him to get a US visa. But it is also a story about Nathan’s deep love of a poor, much brutalized country that has suffered dearly at the hands of Americans, but despite that, is finally getting back on its feet largely because of them.
Like renowned American ex-pat writer Paul Theroux, Joiner has a naturalistic style; he’s adept at creating atmosphere—especially the stasis of the countryside in which “farmers stood knee-deep in the muck, like thin, stunted trees, fixtures in an unchanging landscape.” After several years of teaching, Nathan realizes that his life has become stagnant as well and he needs to take a leap. When his wealthy American friend Anthony offers him a job selling estate to his newly rich clients, he reluctantly takes it on, all the time worrying if Anthony’s authority and hunger for success “would seep out invisibly and poison their private world.”
The clash between Nathan’s and Anthony’s values create a second storyline in the book. Despite Anthony’s assertion that the upcoming generation just wants to forget about the Vietnam war, the past still lingers, particularly in the damaging effects of Agent Orange. In one particularly harrowing scene, Nathan visits a hospital for children who have been affected by the chemical defoliant, a nightmarish nursery of cribs filled with armless, legless babies with heads swollen four times their normal size.
Ultimately Nathan and Anthony, like many ex-pats, are bonded by the unsettling realization that the country they grew up in is now foreign to them. And Nathan recognizes that there will come a time when returning to America will no longer be possible. “Most people he grew up with rarely left Ohio, much less American shores, and yet here he was, halfway around the world in a country that defeated America in war, where his skin, hair and eyes compelled people to treat him reverently one moment and subhumanly the next, and where his view of the world was so different from everyone else’s. If he was an exile, he’d become one by choice.” A worthy read.
Like renowned American ex-pat writer Paul Theroux, Joiner has a naturalistic style; he’s adept at creating atmosphere—especially the stasis of the countryside in which “farmers stood knee-deep in the muck, like thin, stunted trees, fixtures in an unchanging landscape.” After several years of teaching, Nathan realizes that his life has become stagnant as well and he needs to take a leap. When his wealthy American friend Anthony offers him a job selling estate to his newly rich clients, he reluctantly takes it on, all the time worrying if Anthony’s authority and hunger for success “would seep out invisibly and poison their private world.”
The clash between Nathan’s and Anthony’s values create a second storyline in the book. Despite Anthony’s assertion that the upcoming generation just wants to forget about the Vietnam war, the past still lingers, particularly in the damaging effects of Agent Orange. In one particularly harrowing scene, Nathan visits a hospital for children who have been affected by the chemical defoliant, a nightmarish nursery of cribs filled with armless, legless babies with heads swollen four times their normal size.
Ultimately Nathan and Anthony, like many ex-pats, are bonded by the unsettling realization that the country they grew up in is now foreign to them. And Nathan recognizes that there will come a time when returning to America will no longer be possible. “Most people he grew up with rarely left Ohio, much less American shores, and yet here he was, halfway around the world in a country that defeated America in war, where his skin, hair and eyes compelled people to treat him reverently one moment and subhumanly the next, and where his view of the world was so different from everyone else’s. If he was an exile, he’d become one by choice.” A worthy read.
August 5, 2023
Brilliantly captivating with so much depth. As someone interested in Vietnam and it’s culture, the illustrations of life and history woven through a story that leaves you desperate to find out what happens next is ace. And the philosophical overtone looking at the pursuit of happiness is not overly wrought. Incredibly impressive for a first novel.
November 25, 2015
Beautifully written with characters that are interesting but realistic.
January 4, 2017
Really nice.. made me go through so many emotions. I hate Nathan so much.
Want to Read
May 18, 20262025 Foreword Indies Book of the Year Award Finalist
More than a decade since its original publication, Lotusland remains one of the only works of fiction by a US author to bridge the literary gap between the Vietnam War and contemporary Vietnam.
Nathan Monroe is a 28-year-old American living in Saigon who falls in love with a talented and ambitious Vietnamese painter. When he faces crises of love and his own ambitions, his safety net appears in the form of Anthony, an old domineering friend in Hanoi who runs a successful real estate firm. Only much later does Nathan discover that Anthony has plans for him which clash with his desire to integrate into Vietnamese life. Little do they know what lies in store for them after Anthony recklessly takes both of their futures into his own hands.
With lyrical prose and an eye on the social dynamics of a culture undergoing great change, Lotusland dramatizes the power imbalances between Westerners living abroad, and between Westerners and Vietnamese – in love and friendship, in the consequences of war, and in the pursuit of dreams.
The revised anniversary edition contains a new foreword, two author interviews, and an author essay on writing about Vietnam.
More than a decade since its original publication, Lotusland remains one of the only works of fiction by a US author to bridge the literary gap between the Vietnam War and contemporary Vietnam.
Nathan Monroe is a 28-year-old American living in Saigon who falls in love with a talented and ambitious Vietnamese painter. When he faces crises of love and his own ambitions, his safety net appears in the form of Anthony, an old domineering friend in Hanoi who runs a successful real estate firm. Only much later does Nathan discover that Anthony has plans for him which clash with his desire to integrate into Vietnamese life. Little do they know what lies in store for them after Anthony recklessly takes both of their futures into his own hands.
With lyrical prose and an eye on the social dynamics of a culture undergoing great change, Lotusland dramatizes the power imbalances between Westerners living abroad, and between Westerners and Vietnamese – in love and friendship, in the consequences of war, and in the pursuit of dreams.
The revised anniversary edition contains a new foreword, two author interviews, and an author essay on writing about Vietnam.
November 23, 2025
I thoroughly enjoyed Lotusland. It offers a compelling and modern perspective on Vietnam, which was a welcome change after revisiting classics like The Quiet American.
The book is engaging from the first chapter, on the sleeper train to Hanoi with the American writer, Nathan. Joiner excels at setting the scene; the dialogue feels authentic, and it's a pleasure to be immersed in the atmosphere of contemporary Saigon and Hanoi as the narrative unfolds. The story introduces three central characters—Nathan; Le, the ambitious Vietnamese artist; and Anthony, the older expat—and the plot moves along nicely as their relationships and ambitions are revealed. The unfolding complexity of their motives, centered on money and connection, kept me invested throughout the book. It is a well-crafted novel that explores deeper themes concerning self-deception and the search for trust in a changing world.
As an unexpected bonus, the backmatter includes an insightful interview with the author about his writing process, which was a real treat. This book is a very rewarding read, and it certainly encouraged me to read more of Joiner's work.
The book is engaging from the first chapter, on the sleeper train to Hanoi with the American writer, Nathan. Joiner excels at setting the scene; the dialogue feels authentic, and it's a pleasure to be immersed in the atmosphere of contemporary Saigon and Hanoi as the narrative unfolds. The story introduces three central characters—Nathan; Le, the ambitious Vietnamese artist; and Anthony, the older expat—and the plot moves along nicely as their relationships and ambitions are revealed. The unfolding complexity of their motives, centered on money and connection, kept me invested throughout the book. It is a well-crafted novel that explores deeper themes concerning self-deception and the search for trust in a changing world.
As an unexpected bonus, the backmatter includes an insightful interview with the author about his writing process, which was a real treat. This book is a very rewarding read, and it certainly encouraged me to read more of Joiner's work.
June 21, 2026
Wanted to rate it higher - the setting of Vietnam was compelling, and I enjoyed the introspective nature - however the main character Nathan was so aimless, naive and dumb IMO that it was very frustrating to read at times.
3.5/5 rounded down
3.5/5 rounded down
March 13, 2020
A good read set in Vietnam. I enjoyed it having lived in Vietnam, and fell in love with it, and it is clear the author did, too. The protagonist was hard to like at times, but he was lucky he got the girl.
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