The Brightwood Stillness

by Mark Pomeroy

When Hieu Nguyen, a Portland high school teacher, is accused of sexual misconduct by two of his students, his close friend and colleague Nate Davis tries to lend support. But Nate has recently been assaulted by a former student in the school parking lot, an event that brings on not only sharp anxiety, but a final push into a long-deferred quest to find out what happened to his uncle, a drifter and a Vietnam veteran.

Meanwhile, Hieu’s family life is tested. Straining to hold form amid a police investigation into what happened in his classroom, Hieu seeks enough solitude to piece together the story of how he fled war and arrived in the US, how he came to be a father to three children in a bewildering, beloved new land—and how he’ll cope with a now uncertain future.

As their stories unfold in parallel, Hieu and Nate must confront the ways in which their pasts -- each so linked to a mysterious far-off country -- have left them isolated men.

With its vivid look at friendship and the challenges of cross-cultural communication, its poignant take on the legacy of Vietnam, and its Pacific Northwest setting, The Brightwood Stillness will remind readers of the best elements of A Good Scent From a Strange Mountain and Snow Falling on Cedars, while compelling them through a maze of love, betrayal, and finally, redemption.

Genres: Fiction

290 pages, Paperback

First published September 15, 2014

About the author

Mark Pomeroy lives with his family in Portland, Oregon, where he was born and raised. In 2014 Oregon State University Press published his first novel, The Brightwood Stillness, which The Oregonian called "absorbing and humane." He has received an Oregon Literary Fellowship for Fiction, and his short stories, poems, and essays have appeared in Open Spaces, Portland Magazine, The Wordstock 10, NW Book Lovers, The Oregonian, and What Teaching Means: Stories from America’s Classrooms.

Reviews

[Brandi · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author touches on a lot of social issues within this book including immigration, the generation gap that many immigrant families have to deal with as the younger members 'Americanize' quicker than older family members, racial stereotypes, gender issues, etc.
Mr. Pomeroy deals with these, and other issues, in a manner that makes for a story that gets people to really think about themselves and explore their own feelings regarding these, often sensitive, issues.
The book is quite original in its format. At times, as a reader, I would empathize with the characters, at times I would almost become kind of annoyed (I really wish I could think of a better word to use here as 'annoyed' is not quite accurate, but is the closest word I can think of). In the end, they were both very realistic characters and faced a lot of the same issues and challenges many people in similar situations would face.
This book was won from the Goodreads.com website.

[Lori Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant! Easily my favorite novel so far this year. A time I remember so well exceptionally recounted by Mr. Pomeroy of the complications carried by returning Vietnam vets and of refugees escaping their collapsing world, their stories told with great realism, grace and empathy.
The narrator searches for self while searching for a lost much loved relative, his best friend is coping with devastating errors in judgment both men seeking explanations not easily grasped.
In a swirling world of family, teenage angst, and a delightful mix of strangers abroad, love lost and found, forgiveness given and accepted, this book is an absolute wonder!

[Amy Casselman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mark Pomeroy writes with passion and keeps the story moving with twists and turns to engage and make you think. This story tells of parallel trauma of two men; who rise above their respective trauma and learn to be better men when they finally face their demons. It also reveals what happens when you don't rise above. I enjoyed it!

[Chelsea Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy read, but kept me engaged the entire time! Really interesting overlay between the characters that provided good insight into their deeper lives

[Lynn Ferber · Rating 4 out of 5]

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[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

As president of the group that puts on the Nye Beach Writers Series in Newport, OR, I get a lot of books from authors wanting to be featured. Many have more ambition than talent. Not so here. Mark Pomeroy’s first novel is good, the kind of writing that makes me feel I will never measure up.
This is the story of two high school teachers and friends, Nate Davis and Hieu Nguyen, who are both going through hard times. Nate was recently stabbed by a student in the parking lot. Hieu has been accused of sexual misconduct with a student. Both events send the men into a tailspin. Nate, wracked by anxiety and uncertainty, feels driven to leave. He goes to Asia on a quest for the uncle who raised him then disappeared shortly after he came home from the Vietnam War. Hieu, unable to work, feeling shamed by his family and plagued by memories of his own experiences in Vietnam, is at odds with his family and himself.
The book follows both men in their parallel stories as they seek peace and new directions in their lives. We get an intimate look at how men think as well as at the Vietnamese culture, and we accompany Nate on travels through Indonesia and Thailand, as well as his native Oregon. I have already booked Pomeroy for Nov. 2015 in Newport. I highly recommend this book and look forward to what he publishes next.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Probably 4.5 stars. Set in Portland, OR in 1996-97, this is the story of two men. Hieu Nyugen is a Vietnamese immigrant and high school teacher when he is accused of sexual harassment by two female students. His carefully-controlled emotional world begins to fall apart. His best best friend and fellow teacher Nate Davis has recently been stabbed leaving school, he believes by a former student, and is having trouble returning. He decides to search for his uncle, a Vietnam vet, who disappeared years before.

The writing is beautiful. I found the secondary story of Nate distracting and unnecessary at first, but the author weaved everything together by the end.

[Norma]

I liked this book, picked it up because recommended by author David James Duncan...cause I love his writing. A rather sad book..and yet there is a great deal of humor in it as well. Two teachers in a high school in Portland who are both haunted by things in their past and connected in ways they do not know. One teacher is an immigrant from Vietnam who escaped with his family during the war but who is unable to escape from things he did as a soldier in the Vietnamese army. He stands accused of sexual abuse by two of his students. His friend and fellow teacher is haunted by his memories of a beloved uncle who survives the Vietnam war, but does not survive well.

[Doug · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mark Pomeroy has written an amazing book. The Brightwood Stillness captured me immediately and did not let go. The travel to exotic places, the internal dialogs, the suspense, the characterization, the familiar Portland setting, were all a delight.
Thank you, Mark, it was a pleasure!

[Holly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although I appreciate the topics (I'm a teacher), this is very much a male-centered book. Both male protagonists were fairly well developed, but women characters seemed a bit stereotyped. The ending was predictable and a bit unrealistic. It's a good attempt at a first novel.

[Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

Many layered book. Good imagery.