Fire Summer

by Thuy Da Lam

Maia carries out what she believes is her filial role to her late father, a former ARVN soldier, by returning to their homeland to continue the fight for an independent Vietnam. Along the way, however, she meets a cast of characters—historical and fictional, living and dead—who propel her on a journey of self-discovery through which she begins to understand what it means to love.

"A girl plucked from the high seas off Vietnam is sent as a young woman to connect with an aging guerilla faction. A detective story, a quest for the mythic heart of Vietnam on its stones and soil – a novel of rare beauty."
—Robert Onopa, author of THE PLEASURE TUBE

"'What is the shape of one's life when one's action is based on love?' So asks a character in Thuy Da Lam's lyrical novel, FIRE SUMMER, a work that shows us the Vietnam beyond the war movies. Lam deftly explores the slippery interplay between heritage and identity, history and duty, ultimately proving that each of us is so much more than the places we come from. An important debut."
—Quan Barry, author of SHE WEEPS EACH TIME YOU'RE BORN

"In FIRE SUMMER, past and present blend with here and there in ways that continually surprise, yet somehow seem destined. Vietnam is the setting and the legacy for the returning expatriate Maia, and for an entourage of vivid characters who encounter and reencounter each other as they travel from the shores to the mountains, searching for family, closure, and a home. A beautiful, funny, and stunning novel that will reward repeated reading."
—Craig Howes, author of VOICES OF THE VIETNAM POWS: WITNESSES TO THEIR FIGHT

"FIRE SUMMER delivers a war-ravaged Vietnam rich in history, folklore, the tragedy of families torn asunder, and the beauty of Buddhist wisdom that connects the living and dead. Suspenseful, Thuy Da Lam's story of Maia Trieu's journey home is an impressive debut."
—Charles Johnson, author of MIDDLE PASSAGE

“Like a strip of curtain between the dead and the living, FIRE SUMMER is at once ephemeral and expansive. A haunting debut from a writer whose characters, lovingly described, pass not only through rivers and airports, but also despair and separation. We are ferried with them to the other side – one where the fractured are finally come home.”
—Uzma Aslam Khan, author of TRESPASSING and THINNER THAN SKIN

Genres: Fiction

Unknown Binding

Published September 10, 2019

About the author

Thuy Da Lam is the author of the debut novel, FIRE SUMMER. She received a George A. Watrous Literary Prize for Fiction, a Myrle Clark Writing Award, and the John Young Scholarship in the Arts. She holds a BA in creative writing from Hamilton College and a PhD in English literature from the University of Hawai‘i-Mānoa. Born in central Vietnam and raised in the northeastern US, she lives in Honolulu with her husband and two cats and a dog. She finds joy caring for a patch of land beneath the Ko'olau Mountains and working on her next novel, HEAVEN IN A WILDFLOWER.

Reviews

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maia returns to Vietnam to return her father's ashes, to try and figure out what happened to her mother, and to contact her great aunt about starting a revolution, maybe. She collects a bit of an ensemble, with a singer, a writer, and some security personal and tries to complete her goals, which prove rather elusive.

In some ways this really reminded me of Going after Cacciato, just in reverse. Rather than a dreamlike journey out of Vietnam exploring the tragedies experienced by the soldiers, it's a dreamlike journey into Vietnam, going deeper into the country and exploring not just tragedy, but also folklore and heritage. Despite what seems to be some heavy subject matter, there's still some good humor. All in all, this was a really interesting book, and one I enjoyed reading. I'll be keeping an eye out for future works from the author.

[2TReads · Rating 3 out of 5]

In that last hour, before his body became ashes, bravery dropped from her eyes, each teardrop her inner voice calling across the border to the dead - Maia
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Fire Summer follows Maia, an expat Vietnamese, as she returns, on a double mission, to pass information and to find the truth of what happened to her mother. At the same time, we follow a group of rebels in the jungle awaiting a signal for action and spirits who congregate in their village as an important festival approaches.
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Maia garners quite the gang on her journey to climb Hon Vong Phu where she believes her journey will end. Along the way, she is shadowed by Public Security, a tour guide, a photojournalist and an aspiring lounge singer. She participates in rituals of remembrance and respect at the altar of her ancestors and is hounded by the ghosts of questions to which she seeks answers.
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This story had me asking all the questions, as the staccato, non-linear structure made me feel I was in a maze that had constantly rotating, twisting, folding paths; leaving me with ever more questions each time I stumbled from one scene to the next. A very descriptive, atmospheric story that was weighted by a past that is still being reckoned with, through the lives and loves lost, altered, and those whose fates remain unknown. Definitely a book that I will be revisiting, if only to catch something I might have missed.
🌏🌏🌏🌏🌏🌏

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I heard the author speak at an event, and was interested by her presentation and how she described her book, so I picked it up. I was not disappointed, this book is excellent.
Fire Summer follows a young expat returning to Vietnam to spread her father's ashes and to collect stories from her homeland. As Maia travels through Vietnam other reasons for her return to Vietnam are revealed. Thuy weaves an excellent and interesting story that keeps the reader engaged. The reader encounters interesting characters, beautifully written scenes, and an excellent prose. I have not had a book hangover in quite some time, but after reading Fire Summer, other books have not been able to hold my interest.

[Derek Hurst · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a heartfelt and personal dive into a visceral post-war Vietnam, Thuy Da Lam's Fire Summer is the kind of book that sticks in the soul. Readers without a knowledge of Vietnamese language and history may struggle in certain parts, but in the end will walk away knowing in their hearts that they've just experienced a magnificent work of literature. I enjoyed it very much, and was consistently lulled by the poetic, beautiful prose and vivid descriptions that transported me to the into the pages; several times almost catching a whiff of the marvelous food and flowers described. It was a physic salve for the spirit.

[Nidhi Saakshi · Rating 5 out of 5]

“In those moments when he believed freedom could be attained in living, he felt at peace.”

Incredibly well-written with incredible characters. I learned a lot of about Vietnamese culture and history as well. The ending wrapped up well although somewhat unexpectedly.
I wish I could’ve understood the Vietnamese phrases but overall, they didn’t affect my understanding of the story. I can’t wait for Thuy Da Lam’s next novel!

[Hope · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was beautifully written, with a broad cast of interesting characters. Found it a little bit hard to follow--the interweaving plots of the dead and the living, plus some interweaving themes and metaphors made it tricky to parse out what was "real" and what was not (which may be the point!)

It's beautiful and haunting, and it might benefit from a second read.

[Angela Nishimoto · Rating 4 out of 5]

Allusive. Elliptical. Magical. A well-written tale.

[Anomaly]

DNF @ 3%

I'm just not meshing well with the writing. I think part of that is because the formatting is horrible in the eARC I was given (back in 2019, oops) by Edelweiss. But I think another part is that my brain just isn't wrapping around the narrative style. That's a me problem, not a this-book problem, but I'm trying to clear out clutter so I'm nudging this one onto the DNF pile. Maybe I'll return someday, because the premise intrigues me a lot.

[Becky · Rating 2 out of 5]

Phew this book was just not for me. I had an impossible time following the different threads and characters and chronology. Literary/contemporary fiction is often not my favorite, and this book felt over my head and like all the things I don't get into about the genre.

[Michelle]

DNF

[Elisabeth Furlong · Rating 2 out of 5]

Whew. This book was not written for me a a reader. I could not follow the story very well though I did enjoy the beautiful descriptions.