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Saigon Dark
Good and bad. Life and death. Some choices aren't black and white
A grief-stricken young mother switches her dead baby for an abused child, then spends the next decade living a lie. She remarries and starts to feel safe when she gets a note: 'I know what you did'. Can she save her family from her dark secret?
A grief-stricken young mother switches her dead baby for an abused child, then spends the next decade living a lie. She remarries and starts to feel safe when she gets a note: 'I know what you did'. Can she save her family from her dark secret?
231 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 15, 2016
4 people are currently reading
50 people want to read
About the author
Elka Ray
12 books303 followersElka's novels include the Pysch Suspense A FRIEND INDEED and the Mysteries DIVORCE IS MURDER and KILLER COIN.
An avid reader of all things crime, Elka is Canadian/British and lives between Central Vietnam and Vancouver Island.
Meet Elka on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/elka.ray/
An avid reader of all things crime, Elka is Canadian/British and lives between Central Vietnam and Vancouver Island.
Meet Elka on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/elka.ray/
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
June 20, 2017
On the same night her young daughter dies Lily finds a beaten neglected child, around the same age as her daughter, on her doorstep. Citing ‘fate’ as her motivation she decides to keep the child.
The story follows Lily’s life over the next 11 years as she walks a fine line between right and wrong, good and bad. She is always trying to justify her actions while hiding a terrible secret that leaves a heavy burden on her life.
The story is full of raw emotion and tension. Lily runs from her old life and starts over where no-one knows her but there is always that foreboding feeling that her past will one day catch up with her.
The narration is mainly in short, sharp sentences which perfectly portrays the way Lily’s mind is thinking; fast, sharp and erratic. She is always despairing about life and thinking worse case scenarios.
When the note appears that someone knows what she did there are already a few likely suspects that kept me guessing and changing my mind constantly. I never did actually guess right!
I couldn’t read this book fast enough. I was anxious to see what Lily would do next and if she would ever get out of her dilemma.
A tension filled story of lies, betrayal and blackmail. A real sense of foreboding is felt throughout.
Highly recommended!
I received an ERC from the publisher.
The story follows Lily’s life over the next 11 years as she walks a fine line between right and wrong, good and bad. She is always trying to justify her actions while hiding a terrible secret that leaves a heavy burden on her life.
The story is full of raw emotion and tension. Lily runs from her old life and starts over where no-one knows her but there is always that foreboding feeling that her past will one day catch up with her.
The narration is mainly in short, sharp sentences which perfectly portrays the way Lily’s mind is thinking; fast, sharp and erratic. She is always despairing about life and thinking worse case scenarios.
When the note appears that someone knows what she did there are already a few likely suspects that kept me guessing and changing my mind constantly. I never did actually guess right!
I couldn’t read this book fast enough. I was anxious to see what Lily would do next and if she would ever get out of her dilemma.
A tension filled story of lies, betrayal and blackmail. A real sense of foreboding is felt throughout.
Highly recommended!
I received an ERC from the publisher.
August 15, 2018
Thanks to the publishers, Crime Wave, for providing me an ARC copy of this book that I freely chose to review.
This novel is a thriller that takes place within the domestic sphere and one of its unique features is that it is set (mostly) in Vietnam. The main character is a paediatric surgeon, Lily, whose family escaped to the United States when she was a child, and after studying Medicine decided to go back and work there. Although she is a successful professional, her personal life is not a happy one. Her husband, another doctor from a similar background to hers, has left her, and her youngest child, a little girl, suffers from a rare genetic condition, and she does not know how well she will develop. Tragedy strikes; the character seems unable to react rationally due to the pain and makes one disastrous decision after another. We all know that secrets have a way of coming back and biting us, and although Lily is quite lucky, not even she can escape the consequences of her actions, or can she? (I am trying not to reveal any spoilers).
The novel is told, in the first-person, from the point of view of Lily, and as was the case with a recent novel in the same/similar genre I read and reviewed, that might be a problem for some of the readers. It is impossible not to empathise with Lily, and although some of her reactions are bizarre, the author is very good at getting us inside her head and making us understand her disturbed mental state. Perhaps we think we would never do something like that, but we can understand why she does. Personally, I did not sympathise with her (or even like her very much) and at times felt very frustrated with her. I had to agree when one of the other characters told her that she was selfish, blind to other’s needs, and she never thought of anybody else. This is all the more evident considering her privileged existence in contrast to that of the general population, and how much of what happens is a direct result of her actions and her decisions, whilst others are victims of the circumstances with no options to escape. She seems to realise this towards the end, when even her son is more together than her, but all that notwithstanding, the action of the novel is gripping, and it is impossible not to feel curious about what will happen next and wonder if fate and karma will finally catch up with her.
The novel moves at a reasonable pace, at times we seems to be reading a standard domestic drama (about child-rearing and the relationship with her new husband), whilst at others it is an almost pure thriller, and we have blackmailers, red herrings, betrayals, and plenty of suspects. I think those two elements are well-combined and are likely to appeal to fans of both genres, although those who love hard thrillers might take issue with the amount of suspension of disbelief required to accept some of the events in the novel.
The ending is fairly open. Some questions (perhaps the main one) are resolved, but some others are not, and this might be frustrating for readers who prefer everything to be tied up in the end. There is a hint of some insight and growth in the character, but perhaps not enough considering the hard lessons she’s gone through.
There is some violence (although not extreme), serious issues are hinted at (domestic violence, poverty, bullying), and I particularly liked the realistic setting, and the way it depicts Vietnam, Hanoi and Saigon, the big social differences, and the expat scene.
In sum, a blend of psychological (noir) thriller with domestic drama, intriguing and heart-breaking at times, which takes place in an unusual and fascinating setting, recommended to those who don’t mind first-person narration and slightly open endings and who prefer their thrillers with more drama and less emphasis on procedural accuracy.
This novel is a thriller that takes place within the domestic sphere and one of its unique features is that it is set (mostly) in Vietnam. The main character is a paediatric surgeon, Lily, whose family escaped to the United States when she was a child, and after studying Medicine decided to go back and work there. Although she is a successful professional, her personal life is not a happy one. Her husband, another doctor from a similar background to hers, has left her, and her youngest child, a little girl, suffers from a rare genetic condition, and she does not know how well she will develop. Tragedy strikes; the character seems unable to react rationally due to the pain and makes one disastrous decision after another. We all know that secrets have a way of coming back and biting us, and although Lily is quite lucky, not even she can escape the consequences of her actions, or can she? (I am trying not to reveal any spoilers).
The novel is told, in the first-person, from the point of view of Lily, and as was the case with a recent novel in the same/similar genre I read and reviewed, that might be a problem for some of the readers. It is impossible not to empathise with Lily, and although some of her reactions are bizarre, the author is very good at getting us inside her head and making us understand her disturbed mental state. Perhaps we think we would never do something like that, but we can understand why she does. Personally, I did not sympathise with her (or even like her very much) and at times felt very frustrated with her. I had to agree when one of the other characters told her that she was selfish, blind to other’s needs, and she never thought of anybody else. This is all the more evident considering her privileged existence in contrast to that of the general population, and how much of what happens is a direct result of her actions and her decisions, whilst others are victims of the circumstances with no options to escape. She seems to realise this towards the end, when even her son is more together than her, but all that notwithstanding, the action of the novel is gripping, and it is impossible not to feel curious about what will happen next and wonder if fate and karma will finally catch up with her.
The novel moves at a reasonable pace, at times we seems to be reading a standard domestic drama (about child-rearing and the relationship with her new husband), whilst at others it is an almost pure thriller, and we have blackmailers, red herrings, betrayals, and plenty of suspects. I think those two elements are well-combined and are likely to appeal to fans of both genres, although those who love hard thrillers might take issue with the amount of suspension of disbelief required to accept some of the events in the novel.
The ending is fairly open. Some questions (perhaps the main one) are resolved, but some others are not, and this might be frustrating for readers who prefer everything to be tied up in the end. There is a hint of some insight and growth in the character, but perhaps not enough considering the hard lessons she’s gone through.
There is some violence (although not extreme), serious issues are hinted at (domestic violence, poverty, bullying), and I particularly liked the realistic setting, and the way it depicts Vietnam, Hanoi and Saigon, the big social differences, and the expat scene.
In sum, a blend of psychological (noir) thriller with domestic drama, intriguing and heart-breaking at times, which takes place in an unusual and fascinating setting, recommended to those who don’t mind first-person narration and slightly open endings and who prefer their thrillers with more drama and less emphasis on procedural accuracy.
December 11, 2019
I sometimes wonder where neo-noir should go from here. Should it remain anchored in the 1950s, or have 'Blade Runner' and 'The Matrix' established that such mysteries are best confined to futuristic rainy cities? Elka Ray answered this question in ways I never would have imagined with 'Saigon Dark,' a thrilling tale that uses Ho Chi Minh City as its backdrop for a mystery about motherhood, alienation, and the most difficult decisions any grieving parent might be forced to make. It all makes for a great read. Check it out!
December 7, 2016
I had been in a bit of a reading slump and Saigon Dark pulled me right out of it! I couldn't put it down. I loved the setting, steamy Vietnam, dark and mysterious. The main character, Lily, makes a split second decision which has far reaching consequences for her and her family. Lily is flawed, but every mother will identify with her and the choices she is presented with. The characters are well constructed and I especially liked Yna, the complex best friend who may or may not have Lily's best interests at heart. The way in which Lily's actions affect her eldest child is heart breaking but also redeeming. It's a wonderful read and I am wondering if Lily's story finishes there or if there is another chapter?
March 23, 2018
Well written but I hoped for more suspense. Good read in general, but (for me) it just isn't one of those books that you can't put down. I liked that the story is told in first person as we get an insight into Lily's head. Loved the last chapter, not so much the ending.
July 1, 2018
Finished reading: June 28th 2018
"Closure? When I hear people use this word, I dismiss them as idiots, or worse. Just the idea is a travesty, like you could close a door on your love, lock it up tight, and paint over it. Real love is a part of you, like your heart or your liver. You might survive massive trauma but you won't ever be the same."
*** A copy of this book was kindly provided to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! ***
P.S. Find more of my reviews here.
June 29, 2020
Saigon Dark marks the second book I have read by Elka Ray. I requested and received a digital copy compliments of Crime Wave Press in exchange for an honest review.
Of the two books I much prefer Saigon Dark as Ms. Ray’s talent shines through on every page—it is a well-crafted ferris wheel ride of a read. I devoured the book without hardly ever putting it down.
It is dark and compelling—I was certainly at times hard pressed to feel empathy with the main character, Lily—but I nevertheless hoped she would succeed—even if the woman was completely unable to simply tell the truth. Saigon Dark is a testament to Ms. Ray’s strength as a writer.
Instead, I took inspiration from the wisdoms that Ms. Ray portrayed through her characters—the wisdom that keeping secrets leads to a life filled with deception and paranoia. It builds a secret inner monologue in your brain which if left unchecked completely drives your entire life.
It is like drinking a poison that ensures that your focus is always trapped listening to a paranoid deceptive demon constantly whispering in your ear advising a continued diet of lies, deception, vigilance, paranoia, fear, stress, and anxiety—to succeed at all costs—if you are to protect what you hold dear. In Lily and in Saigon Dark, Ms. Ray creates a dark closed-in world that precisely validates her wisdoms, writing that results in a well constructed novel that is as compelling as it is claustrophobic.
Family (she claims) is the most important thing in Lily’s life and she would do anything to protect it—while reading I would often wonder which was more important to Lily—her family or getting caught.
The unintended consequence of this type of choice— is that in Lily’s desperation to keep her family whole and her secrets secret she gets trapped—often only noticing in retrospect that she had been so caught up listening to mind demons that she was never really there, never really enjoyed those people and moments that she claimed to hold most dear.
Instead, Lily spent the vast majority of her life constantly obsessing over her deceptions, her secrets, and past betrayals. She got so caught up in fears about losing her family that she often completely missed out on the very “happiness” that she was so desperate to protect.
The beginning of this dark tale starts with Lily relating a recurring nightmare which starts as a happy love filled ferris wheel ride and ends in betrayal as she is pushed out of her carriage at the very top of the ride, Ms. Ray utilizes this nightmare as a metaphor for Lily’s life.
We meet Lily at a moment when she is still reeling from being pitched from the top of her metaphoric ferris wheel—abandoned by her first husband, living as a single mother in Saigon, with two small children to raise on her own. She is still reeling from these betrayals and when her self adsorption results in her young daughter’s “accidental” death, Lily hits her nadir and it is in those depths that Lily makes some truly questionable decisions.
Lily’s unfathomable decisions represent a morally ethical quagmire and she reels from Saigon to Thailand where she reinvents her life—once again. I loved how Ms. Ray chose to weave her tale— as readers we are simply dropped chapter by chapter into pivotal moments in Lily’s life—like carriage ride stops on a loading ferris wheel we spend time looking at the view and listening to the corrosive poison of Lily’s current mind demons.
Each moment where Lily seems to have it all —a successful career, a family, a husband, wonderful children—she gets shoved from the top of that metaphoric ferris wheel again. By the end of the book Lily is completely self centered completely adsorbed into her own mind —it is an increasingly claustrophobic world and read.
Once again we see Lily reeling but recovering after another push from the top but with an unexpected ally this go round. A tiny ray of hope to cling to…that she can rise back up.
I think the wisdom is to pick a different amusement park ride instead of constantly expecting different results from the SAME RIDE. Samskara. Villanelle. Insanity. All circular rides.
I suppose Ms. Ray had to end the ride somewhere but I would have happily taken another couple of rounds on this particular ferris wheel. I look forward to reading more of Elka Ray.
Of the two books I much prefer Saigon Dark as Ms. Ray’s talent shines through on every page—it is a well-crafted ferris wheel ride of a read. I devoured the book without hardly ever putting it down.
It is dark and compelling—I was certainly at times hard pressed to feel empathy with the main character, Lily—but I nevertheless hoped she would succeed—even if the woman was completely unable to simply tell the truth. Saigon Dark is a testament to Ms. Ray’s strength as a writer.
Instead, I took inspiration from the wisdoms that Ms. Ray portrayed through her characters—the wisdom that keeping secrets leads to a life filled with deception and paranoia. It builds a secret inner monologue in your brain which if left unchecked completely drives your entire life.
It is like drinking a poison that ensures that your focus is always trapped listening to a paranoid deceptive demon constantly whispering in your ear advising a continued diet of lies, deception, vigilance, paranoia, fear, stress, and anxiety—to succeed at all costs—if you are to protect what you hold dear. In Lily and in Saigon Dark, Ms. Ray creates a dark closed-in world that precisely validates her wisdoms, writing that results in a well constructed novel that is as compelling as it is claustrophobic.
Family (she claims) is the most important thing in Lily’s life and she would do anything to protect it—while reading I would often wonder which was more important to Lily—her family or getting caught.
The unintended consequence of this type of choice— is that in Lily’s desperation to keep her family whole and her secrets secret she gets trapped—often only noticing in retrospect that she had been so caught up listening to mind demons that she was never really there, never really enjoyed those people and moments that she claimed to hold most dear.
Instead, Lily spent the vast majority of her life constantly obsessing over her deceptions, her secrets, and past betrayals. She got so caught up in fears about losing her family that she often completely missed out on the very “happiness” that she was so desperate to protect.
The beginning of this dark tale starts with Lily relating a recurring nightmare which starts as a happy love filled ferris wheel ride and ends in betrayal as she is pushed out of her carriage at the very top of the ride, Ms. Ray utilizes this nightmare as a metaphor for Lily’s life.
We meet Lily at a moment when she is still reeling from being pitched from the top of her metaphoric ferris wheel—abandoned by her first husband, living as a single mother in Saigon, with two small children to raise on her own. She is still reeling from these betrayals and when her self adsorption results in her young daughter’s “accidental” death, Lily hits her nadir and it is in those depths that Lily makes some truly questionable decisions.
Lily’s unfathomable decisions represent a morally ethical quagmire and she reels from Saigon to Thailand where she reinvents her life—once again. I loved how Ms. Ray chose to weave her tale— as readers we are simply dropped chapter by chapter into pivotal moments in Lily’s life—like carriage ride stops on a loading ferris wheel we spend time looking at the view and listening to the corrosive poison of Lily’s current mind demons.
Each moment where Lily seems to have it all —a successful career, a family, a husband, wonderful children—she gets shoved from the top of that metaphoric ferris wheel again. By the end of the book Lily is completely self centered completely adsorbed into her own mind —it is an increasingly claustrophobic world and read.
Once again we see Lily reeling but recovering after another push from the top but with an unexpected ally this go round. A tiny ray of hope to cling to…that she can rise back up.
I think the wisdom is to pick a different amusement park ride instead of constantly expecting different results from the SAME RIDE. Samskara. Villanelle. Insanity. All circular rides.
I suppose Ms. Ray had to end the ride somewhere but I would have happily taken another couple of rounds on this particular ferris wheel. I look forward to reading more of Elka Ray.
April 11, 2019
Lily is a single mum, living in Vietnam. She has two children – Dunc and little Evie, and a repeated dream about her ex-husband throwing her from the top of a Ferris wheel. Lily is also a doctor, a professional – a job in which the suppression of emotions is a positive pre-requisite.
And that is really what this taught, suffocating, brilliant novel from Elka Ray is about – suppression. And choices. Because life is all about choices.
So, what do we do when our life is ripped apart in a single moment of tragedy, through no fault of our own? Even then, we have choices. Lily has choices. Lily chooses.
The choice Lily makes has consequences – as all choices do. And as we follow Lily as the consequences of her choice unfolds, the sense of foreboding becomes almost unbearable. It became so real for me at one point, this impending terror, I had to physically force myself not to long down the page at what was to come.
Ray's prose is tight and utterly unforgiving. Here is the first paragraph:
'I'm woken by the sound of breaking glass. A woman screams. It's the neighbours, again. A boy - one of the older kids - yells, and a younger child starts to sob. I roll over. If only it would stop. Their youngest is smaller than my daughter.'
When I teach my students about writing in the first person, I say the aim is for the reader to feel exactly as the narrator feels. Ray achieves this, and more. I read most of this book feeling an elephant was sitting on my chest. Just great, great writing.
Otto Penzler once said ‘noir stories are bleak, existential, alienated, pessimistic tales about losers--people who are so morally challenged that they cannot help but bring about their own ruin’.
Lily may not be a ‘loser’ in the sense Penzler means, but she has suffered loss unimaginable. The remainder of the definition holds utterly true, making, in my mind, Saigon Dark a modern noir classic, and Elka Ray a name to watch for anyone who likes dark, psychological thrillers of the highest quality.
And that is really what this taught, suffocating, brilliant novel from Elka Ray is about – suppression. And choices. Because life is all about choices.
So, what do we do when our life is ripped apart in a single moment of tragedy, through no fault of our own? Even then, we have choices. Lily has choices. Lily chooses.
The choice Lily makes has consequences – as all choices do. And as we follow Lily as the consequences of her choice unfolds, the sense of foreboding becomes almost unbearable. It became so real for me at one point, this impending terror, I had to physically force myself not to long down the page at what was to come.
Ray's prose is tight and utterly unforgiving. Here is the first paragraph:
'I'm woken by the sound of breaking glass. A woman screams. It's the neighbours, again. A boy - one of the older kids - yells, and a younger child starts to sob. I roll over. If only it would stop. Their youngest is smaller than my daughter.'
When I teach my students about writing in the first person, I say the aim is for the reader to feel exactly as the narrator feels. Ray achieves this, and more. I read most of this book feeling an elephant was sitting on my chest. Just great, great writing.
Otto Penzler once said ‘noir stories are bleak, existential, alienated, pessimistic tales about losers--people who are so morally challenged that they cannot help but bring about their own ruin’.
Lily may not be a ‘loser’ in the sense Penzler means, but she has suffered loss unimaginable. The remainder of the definition holds utterly true, making, in my mind, Saigon Dark a modern noir classic, and Elka Ray a name to watch for anyone who likes dark, psychological thrillers of the highest quality.
October 2, 2017
The story begins with the normal life of a respected plastic surgeon. Our main character, Lily, has 2 kids and a failed marriage. All is well until her daughter drowns. In shock, and possibly guilt, Lily decides to bury her daughter in the backyard instead of calling the police. When all seems lost Lily sees what seems to be a redemption opportunity: the neglected neighbours’ daughter is crying in the middle of the street, in great need of help. Our main character decides to “adopt” the child and the next morning she’s running away to start a new life.
Eventually Lily is capable of getting her life back on track; a new job, new husband and further on, a baby. However, things are never that simple. In a brilliant way, Ray not only creates a heavy feeling of grief throughout the narrative, but also adds up tension and paranoia when we discover someone else was there that night and knows Lily’s secret.
But who was this mysterious bystander?
Why blackmail Lily after all those years?
One can actually feel the pressure and fear closing in on Lily in a claustrophobic narrative.
The only doubt I have about this novel is the way Lily deals with her ex-husband. The negative echo he still exercises over her life is a bit exaggerated and makes this competent and strong woman look emotionally weak and fragile, which in my opinion doesn’t sit very well. In addition, it would be nicer to have closure on certain issues of the story. For instance, what happened to her recent marriage? Did it work out or did it end up like the previous one. What happened to the parents, especially the mother of the girl she kidnapped? It would be a plus to have more development in these matters.
In conclusion one would say that secrets, betrayal, murder, blackmail, paranoia, are just a few of the elements you can expect from this novel. Highly recommended!
Eventually Lily is capable of getting her life back on track; a new job, new husband and further on, a baby. However, things are never that simple. In a brilliant way, Ray not only creates a heavy feeling of grief throughout the narrative, but also adds up tension and paranoia when we discover someone else was there that night and knows Lily’s secret.
But who was this mysterious bystander?
Why blackmail Lily after all those years?
One can actually feel the pressure and fear closing in on Lily in a claustrophobic narrative.
The only doubt I have about this novel is the way Lily deals with her ex-husband. The negative echo he still exercises over her life is a bit exaggerated and makes this competent and strong woman look emotionally weak and fragile, which in my opinion doesn’t sit very well. In addition, it would be nicer to have closure on certain issues of the story. For instance, what happened to her recent marriage? Did it work out or did it end up like the previous one. What happened to the parents, especially the mother of the girl she kidnapped? It would be a plus to have more development in these matters.
In conclusion one would say that secrets, betrayal, murder, blackmail, paranoia, are just a few of the elements you can expect from this novel. Highly recommended!
April 16, 2018
I was particularly interested to read this novel because I lived in Vietnam for a couple of years in the mid-1990s and there is so little crime fiction set in the country. Saigon Dark is a solid domestic noir which starts in Saigon, veers to Hanoi and then heads back to Saigon again for its conclusion. No spoilers, but one night the main character, a young Vietnamese American woman, makes a terrible choice that involves her taking a Vietnamese street child and raising it as her own. She lives with the crime (although is it really a crime given the life the child might have otherwise had?), the guilt and secrets that arise from this and other things she does, for years until a combination of events threatens to reveal what she has done and unravel the new life she has created for herself. Ray pens solid characters, good dialogue and maintains great pacing and a genuine sense of dark suspense throughout the story. Like all good noir, the more the main character tries to get herself out of the situation she finds herself in, the worse things get, and Ray maintains the suspense until the very end. The book also has some wonderful observations about family life and parenting. My only quibble, and it is a very small one, is that I would've liked a few more sights and smell of everyday life in Vietnam. But I think that's more about me than Ray's novel. Being an expat in Vietnam now is obviously very different to what it was like in 1995, when I was there. Globalisation and mass culture is no doubt having its impact in Vietnam, making it increasingly just like everywhere else. But this is small beer compared to this books many strengths. Recommended.
July 30, 2020
Saigon Dark is a moving story of a Vietnamese refugee who returns to Vietnam a lifetime later having completed med school and married the man she thought was the love of her life. It tells of her struggles and victories, the horrifying twists and the rays of hope. The ending will shock you.
I don't normally read these noir type crime novels but this one had me staying up late to finish it. The characters are remarkably believable and you find yourself anxious for them and hoping that they will overcome the tragedy they find themselves stuck in. Filled with lush detail that will drag you from wherever you're reading and into the streets of Saigon and Hanoi. Certain aspects of this book will have crime readers easily guessing who some of the "bad guys" are but it makes this story no less enthralling and moving. I do wish we had gotten more closure about Joel but I'm sure most readers can guess where that story line is going.
Overall: A great book that I would strongly recommend to lovers of Noir Crime Fiction.
I don't normally read these noir type crime novels but this one had me staying up late to finish it. The characters are remarkably believable and you find yourself anxious for them and hoping that they will overcome the tragedy they find themselves stuck in. Filled with lush detail that will drag you from wherever you're reading and into the streets of Saigon and Hanoi. Certain aspects of this book will have crime readers easily guessing who some of the "bad guys" are but it makes this story no less enthralling and moving. I do wish we had gotten more closure about Joel but I'm sure most readers can guess where that story line is going.
Overall: A great book that I would strongly recommend to lovers of Noir Crime Fiction.
October 2, 2017
I have never been to Vietnam, but I know that they have their own customs and things I don't understand. Having said that, I don't believe that covering up your carelessness with kidnapping and murder is right. Perhaps I was in the "wrong frame of mind" for this book. I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book.
November 19, 2016
I have read all of Elka Ray's books ! Another hit. Exhausted this morning as I couldn't put the book down and needed to read to the end. Again Elka shows her indepth knowledge of Saigon as the host city of this dark story.
April 2, 2019
An incredible book! I recommend it to anyone seeking a little thrill
April 8, 2019
Captivating story! Really had me guessing and took me by surprise!
July 29, 2020
Great Read
I loved this book from the beginning to the end . Well written , sad at times , infuriating at others but it kept my interest all the way through .
I loved this book from the beginning to the end . Well written , sad at times , infuriating at others but it kept my interest all the way through .
February 17, 2017
It's taken an age to get this review to the point where it can be published, because it's it's been so hard to clearly identify what about SAIGON DARK really worked for this reader, and why there were some niggling doubts remaining.
A seemingly straight-forward story where Lily, a competent, respected surgeon has returned to her native Saigon, two children with her - leaving behind a failed marriage to an American Vietnamese man. When her young daughter dies in a drowning accident, she buries the body in her garden - never telling anyone what happened. Then grief-stricken Lily kidnaps (rescues) an abused child from the house next door, raising her as her dead daughter. Suddenly not so straight-forward.
Guilt, sadness and paranoia abound in this novel, which quite often feels like a long-running train crash, as Lily spirals out of control. The portrait of this woman is interesting and particularly well done as you have a seemingly competent, assertive woman in her professional life, who, from the moment she finds the body of her daughter, does so many inexplicable things. But it's not just the daft decisions, it's the absolute refusal to take stock / to consider the potential consequences / to stop and breathe until, as the reader just knows will happen, reality turns around and bites back hard.
Obviously there's an unreliable narrator at the centre of SAIGON DARK. Or is it perhaps the sinister echo of the ex-husband or her the best friend, miles away and somehow complicit in something. Perhaps this is where the niggling doubts come from. There's a lot of belief being suspended here. Sure you might think a little boy would accept a sudden change in sister without dropping his mother into it too deep, and you might sort of expect that an isolated, recently arrived family could hide a switch like this. And you can live with the idea that the guilt would be partly because Lily's dead daughter was a handful, and the hiding of her death by a seemingly intelligent, educated woman was all explainable. And the flitting, and returning, and the new husband, the ex-husband, and the odd interventions from the best friend, and and and. The batting away of disbelief is undoubtedly helped by the pace of the novel, and the cleverly sympathetic nature of the woman at the centre of it all, and fortunately, the unravelling starts early enough to give you hope that any doubts you might be experiencing aren't completely unreasonable.
All in all it's an interesting one this. SAIGON DARK is styled as a psychological thriller, with a central highly unreliable character who is oddly sympathetic and utterly infuriating all at the same time. Bought up in America, but with Vietnamese ancestry, she's both an insider and outsider. She's isolated without many friends or strong local connections, and she's profoundly impulse driven. With each wrong-turn she erects more and more hurdles to the point where you just know she's going to trip. And for most of SAIGON DARK this reader could not decide if that was a good or a bad thing. Definitely worth reading if you're looking for something that's outside the box by a long way.
https://www.austcrimefiction.org/revi...
A seemingly straight-forward story where Lily, a competent, respected surgeon has returned to her native Saigon, two children with her - leaving behind a failed marriage to an American Vietnamese man. When her young daughter dies in a drowning accident, she buries the body in her garden - never telling anyone what happened. Then grief-stricken Lily kidnaps (rescues) an abused child from the house next door, raising her as her dead daughter. Suddenly not so straight-forward.
Guilt, sadness and paranoia abound in this novel, which quite often feels like a long-running train crash, as Lily spirals out of control. The portrait of this woman is interesting and particularly well done as you have a seemingly competent, assertive woman in her professional life, who, from the moment she finds the body of her daughter, does so many inexplicable things. But it's not just the daft decisions, it's the absolute refusal to take stock / to consider the potential consequences / to stop and breathe until, as the reader just knows will happen, reality turns around and bites back hard.
Obviously there's an unreliable narrator at the centre of SAIGON DARK. Or is it perhaps the sinister echo of the ex-husband or her the best friend, miles away and somehow complicit in something. Perhaps this is where the niggling doubts come from. There's a lot of belief being suspended here. Sure you might think a little boy would accept a sudden change in sister without dropping his mother into it too deep, and you might sort of expect that an isolated, recently arrived family could hide a switch like this. And you can live with the idea that the guilt would be partly because Lily's dead daughter was a handful, and the hiding of her death by a seemingly intelligent, educated woman was all explainable. And the flitting, and returning, and the new husband, the ex-husband, and the odd interventions from the best friend, and and and. The batting away of disbelief is undoubtedly helped by the pace of the novel, and the cleverly sympathetic nature of the woman at the centre of it all, and fortunately, the unravelling starts early enough to give you hope that any doubts you might be experiencing aren't completely unreasonable.
All in all it's an interesting one this. SAIGON DARK is styled as a psychological thriller, with a central highly unreliable character who is oddly sympathetic and utterly infuriating all at the same time. Bought up in America, but with Vietnamese ancestry, she's both an insider and outsider. She's isolated without many friends or strong local connections, and she's profoundly impulse driven. With each wrong-turn she erects more and more hurdles to the point where you just know she's going to trip. And for most of SAIGON DARK this reader could not decide if that was a good or a bad thing. Definitely worth reading if you're looking for something that's outside the box by a long way.
https://www.austcrimefiction.org/revi...
February 18, 2017
The premise – that a single mother (Lily) living in Vietnam decides to ‘rescue’ an abused child who wanders out in the night on the same night as her child of the same age drowns, and then deals with the consequences – doesn’t do the story justice. It’s a tale of motherly love and how it effects the most sensible, well educated and grounded of us all as an obsession and compulsion. It’s also an account of the fragility of human relationships in matters of trust and romantic love and how ‘blood’ or in this case motherly love is thicker than water.
Saigon Dark Review
I don’t do stars, but this book is an easy 5. It’s the best new fiction I’ve read this year (okay, it’s February), but it is still and excellent novel. Saigon Dark is best enjoyed if you have no idea what’s coming. So I won’t get too much into the plot. The best I can do is to compare it to some other well-known books to give an idea of the style and quality.
One such would be Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca, in which the story starts off as a romance then veers towards the supernatural before becoming a full-on psychological suspense novel. Likewise, Elka Ray’s Saigon Dark starts off as a story of a woman wishing back her ex-husband, then becomes a little spooky, turns into a tale of a woman living under the constant pressure of lies and then explodes into a classic noir romp full of secrets, blackmail, and murder. Elements of Ray’s story also had the feel of Patricia Highsmith’s, The Talented Mr. Ripley, in that occasionally, the pose becomes quick and economic, rushing through Lily’s intensely focused actions of dealing with dead bodies and the fear of being discovered. There’s also the tense but stylish management of lies and the evolution of Lily into a new person, completely at odds with her previous or professional self.
There are many themes here that will appeal to a wide range of readers. Throughout the book, a thread regarding trust is present. Lily can only trust herself, she has to compartmentalize everything she feels in order to protect herself and her children. There are also ideas of rebirth and renewal and the hope of making something better. Ultimately, there is sadness and tragedy to the story, but it is not of the soppy, anti-climatic variety, rather a more sensitive and empathic approach to noir. And all this wrapped up in a fascinating Vietnamese location and culture that reads as genuine and authentic.
There’s no way this book can be easily described, well written and a fascinating subject matter is only the beginning. It could easily become a huge hit and also has all the hallmarks of a noir classic. It should be read, simple as that.
Saigon Dark Review
I don’t do stars, but this book is an easy 5. It’s the best new fiction I’ve read this year (okay, it’s February), but it is still and excellent novel. Saigon Dark is best enjoyed if you have no idea what’s coming. So I won’t get too much into the plot. The best I can do is to compare it to some other well-known books to give an idea of the style and quality.
One such would be Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca, in which the story starts off as a romance then veers towards the supernatural before becoming a full-on psychological suspense novel. Likewise, Elka Ray’s Saigon Dark starts off as a story of a woman wishing back her ex-husband, then becomes a little spooky, turns into a tale of a woman living under the constant pressure of lies and then explodes into a classic noir romp full of secrets, blackmail, and murder. Elements of Ray’s story also had the feel of Patricia Highsmith’s, The Talented Mr. Ripley, in that occasionally, the pose becomes quick and economic, rushing through Lily’s intensely focused actions of dealing with dead bodies and the fear of being discovered. There’s also the tense but stylish management of lies and the evolution of Lily into a new person, completely at odds with her previous or professional self.
There are many themes here that will appeal to a wide range of readers. Throughout the book, a thread regarding trust is present. Lily can only trust herself, she has to compartmentalize everything she feels in order to protect herself and her children. There are also ideas of rebirth and renewal and the hope of making something better. Ultimately, there is sadness and tragedy to the story, but it is not of the soppy, anti-climatic variety, rather a more sensitive and empathic approach to noir. And all this wrapped up in a fascinating Vietnamese location and culture that reads as genuine and authentic.
There’s no way this book can be easily described, well written and a fascinating subject matter is only the beginning. It could easily become a huge hit and also has all the hallmarks of a noir classic. It should be read, simple as that.
November 17, 2016
This book was recommended by a friend who used to live in Vietnam. I was worried it'd be too gruesome but it was psychological suspense rather than horror and really gripping. I finished it in just 2 days. The story follows an American Vietnamese woman whose life falls apart after her husband divorces her in Saigon and her baby daughter dies. It was realistic and thought-provoking. The author did a good job of building tension.
March 4, 2018
A scary, relatable and thought-provoking read about a damaged woman's efforts to justify her morally-questionable choices. And of course I gave it 5 stars - I wrote it!
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