Synopses & Reviews
A New York Times Best Seller! A New York Times Notable Book!
A unique and sweeping debut novel of an American female combat photographer in the Vietnam War, as she captures the wrenching chaos and finds herself torn between the love of two men.
On a stifling day in 1975, the North Vietnamese army is poised to roll into Saigon. As the fall of the city begins, two lovers make their way through the streets to escape to a new life. Helen Adams, an American photojournalist, must take leave of a war she is addicted to and a devastated country she has come to love. Linh, the Vietnamese man who loves her, must grapple with his own conflicted loyalties of heart and homeland. As they race to leave, they play out a drama of devotion and betrayal that spins them back through twelve war-torn years, beginning in the splendor of Angkor Wat, with their mentor, larger-than-life war correspondent Sam Darrow, once Helen's infuriating love and fiercest competitor, and Linh's secret keeper, boss and truest friend.
Tatjana Soli paints a searing portrait of an American womans struggle and triumph in Vietnam, a stirring canvas contrasting the wrenching horror of war and the treacherous narcotic of obsession with the redemptive power of love. Readers will be transfixed by this stunning novel of passion, duty and ambition among the ruins of war.
Review
“If you have wondered what its like to be a combat photographer and what kind of toll such brutal work exacts on the soul, you must read The Lotus Eaters, Tatjana Solis beautiful and harrowing new novel. Its characters are unforgettable, as real as the historical events in which theyre enmeshed.” Richard Russo, Pullitzer Prize-winning author of Empire Falls, Bridge of Sighs and That Old Cape Magic
"Set amid the twin infernos of Cambodia and Vietnam in the early 1970's, The Lotus Eaters draws the reader into a haunting world of war, betrayal, courage, obsession, and love. Tatjana Soli's spare, lucid prose infuses this novel with a dramatic clarity that makes us eyewitnesses to the collapse of two civilizations. More than that, The Lotus Eaters helps us to see and hear and feel the terrible human costs of that conflagration." Tim OBrien, author of The Things They Carried“The very steam from Vietnam's jungles seems to rise from the pages of Tatjana Soli's tremendously evocative debut, a love story set in the hallucinatory atmosphere of war, described in translucent, fever-dream prose. ” Janice Y. K. Lee, author of The Piano Teacher "The Lotus Eaters is a mesmerizing novel. Tatjana Soli takes on a monumental task by re-examining a heavily chronicled time and painting it with a lovely, fresh palette. The book is a true gift from a promising new writer." Katie Crouch, author of Girls in Trucks and Men and Dogs
“Beautiful and harrowing, The Lotus Eaters explores the world of war, themes of love and loss, and the complicated question of what drives us toward the heroic with remarkable compassion and grace. Tatjana Solis exquisite first novel is among the best Ive read in years.” Meg Waite Clayton, author of The Wednesday Sisters
"A haunting story of the powers of love and war, the demands of history and desire, and the unforgettable people who seek, against overwhelming odds, a kind of redemption. A great read from a writer to watch." Janet Peery, National Book Award Finalist for River Beyond the World
Review
"An impressive debut novel about a female photographer covering the Vietnam War...A visceral story about the powerful and complex bonds that war creates. It raises profound questions about professional and personal lives that are based on, and often dependent on, a nations horrific strife. Graphic but never gratuitous, the gripping, haunting narrative explores the complexity of violence, foreignness, even betrayal. Moving and memorable." Kirkus Reviews (starred)
“If you have wondered what its like to be a combat photographer and what kind of toll such brutal work exacts on the soul, you must read The Lotus Eaters, Tatjana Solis beautiful and harrowing new novel. Its characters are unforgettable, as real as the historical events in which theyre enmeshed.” Richard Russo, Pullitzer Prize-winning author of Empire Falls, Bridge of Sighs and That Old Cape Magic
"Set amid the twin infernos of Cambodia and Vietnam in the early 1970's, The Lotus Eaters draws the reader into a haunting world of war, betrayal, courage, obsession, and love. Tatjana Soli's spare, lucid prose infuses this novel with a dramatic clarity that makes us eyewitnesses to the collapse of two civilizations. More than that, The Lotus Eaters helps us to see and hear and feel the terrible human costs of that conflagration." Tim OBrien, author of The Things They Carried“The very steam from Vietnam's jungles seems to rise from the pages of Tatjana Soli's tremendously evocative debut, a love story set in the hallucinatory atmosphere of war, described in translucent, fever-dream prose. ” Janice Y. K. Lee, author of The Piano Teacher "The Lotus Eaters is a mesmerizing novel. Tatjana Soli takes on a monumental task by re-examining a heavily chronicled time and painting it with a lovely, fresh palette. The book is a true gift from a promising new writer." Katie Crouch, author of Girls in Trucks and Men and Dogs
“Beautiful and harrowing, The Lotus Eaters explores the world of war, themes of love and loss, and the complicated question of what drives us toward the heroic with remarkable compassion and grace. Tatjana Solis exquisite first novel is among the best Ive read in years.” Meg Waite Clayton, author of The Wednesday Sisters
"A haunting story of the powers of love and war, the demands of history and desire, and the unforgettable people who seek, against overwhelming odds, a kind of redemption. A great read from a writer to watch." Janet Peery, National Book Award Finalist for River Beyond the World Oline H. Cogdill - Kristine Huntley - Oline H. Cogdill - Jay Strafford - Hallie Ephron - Marilyn Stasio - Wed Lukowsky - Spider Robinson - Robert Silverberg - Richard A. Lupoff - Harlan Ellison - George R. R. Martin - Jon Winokur - Alison Weir, author of Eleanor of Aquitaine and The Six Wives of Henry VIII - Dallas Observer - Jennifer Weiner, author of In Her Shoes and Little Earthquakes - Jay Leno - Laura Zigman, author of Animal Husbandry, Dating Big Bird, and Her - Liz Smith - Eoin Colfer - John Banville - W.E.B. 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Review
"[A] splendid first novel…Helens restlessness and grappling, her realization that "a woman sees war differently," provide a new and fascinating perspective on Vietnam. Vivid battle scenes, sensual romantic entanglements and elegant writing add to the pleasures of "The Lotus Eaters." Solis hallucinatory vision of wartime Vietnam seems at once familiar and new. The details — the scorched villages, the rancid smells of Saigon — arise naturally, underpinning the novels sharp realism and characterization. In an authors note, Soli writes that shes been an "eager reader of every book" about Vietnam she has come across, but she is never overt or heavy-handed. Nothing in this novel seems "researched." Rather, its disparate sources have been smoothed and folded into Solis own distinct voice." —Danielle Trussoni, The New York Times Book Review
"[A] haunting debut novel…quietly mesmerizing…If it sounds as if a love story is the central element in "The Lotus Eaters" (which takes its title from those characters in "The Odyssey" who succumb to the allure of honeyed fruit), Ms. Solis book is sturdier than that. Its object lessons in how Helen learns to refine her wartime photography are succinct and powerful. By exposing its readers to the violence of war only gradually and sparingly, the novel becomes all the more effective." —Janet Maslin, The New York Times
“The novel is steeped in history, yet gorgeous sensory details enliven the prose… 35 years after the fall of Saigon, Solis entrancing debut brings you close enough to feel a part of it." —People (3 1/2 stars)
"If its possible to judge a novel by its first few lines, then "The Lotus Eaters, Tatjana Solis fiction debut, shows great promise right from the start: ‘The city teetered in a dream state. Helen walked down the deserted street. The quiet was eerie. Time running out.… Anyone who has seen Kathryns Bigelows Oscar-winning film, "The Hurt Locker," understands that the obsession with violence and risk, at least for a certain personality type, is hard to shake. That Solis story explores this mindset from a womans perspective (and a journalist, not a soldier) adds interesting and unexpected layers…The author explores Helens psyche with startling clarity, and portrays the chaotic war raging around her with great attention to seemingly minor details" —The Boston Globe
"Lotus eaters, in Greek mythology, taste and then become possessed by the narcotic plant. Already an accomplished short story writer, Soli uses as her epigraph a passage from Homer's "Odyssey" in which the lotus eaters are robbed of their will to return home. It is a clue, right from the start, that this novel will delve into the lives of those who become so fixated on recording savagery that life in a peaceful, functioning society begins to feel banal and inconsequential." —The Washington Post"An impressive debut novel about a female photographer covering the Vietnam War...A visceral story about the powerful and complex bonds that war creates. It raises profound questions about professional and personal lives that are based on, and often dependent on, a nations horrific strife. Graphic but never gratuitous, the gripping, haunting narrative explores the complexity of violence, foreignness, even betrayal. Moving and memorable." —Kirkus Reviews (starred review) "This evocative debut novel is a well researched exploration of Vietnam between 1963 and 1975, when the United States pulled out of the conflict. Like Marianne Wiggins's Eveless Eden and Tim O'Brien's The Things They Carried before it, Soli's poignant work will grab the attention of most readers. A powerful new writer to watch." —Library Journal (starred review) "The strength here is in Solis vivid, beautiful depiction of war-torn Vietnam, from the dangers of the field where death can be a single step away to the emptiness of the Saigon streets in the final days of the American evacuation." —Booklist "Suspenseful, eloquent, sprawling...This harrowing depiction of life and death shows that even as the country burned, love and hope triumphed." —Publishers Weekly
"A haunting world of war, betrayal, courage, obsession, and love." —Tim OBrien, author of The Things They Carried
"You must read The Lotus Eaters, Tatjana Solis beautiful and harrowing new novel. Its characters are unforgettable, as real as the historical events in which theyre enmeshed." —Richard Russo, author of Empire Falls and That Old Cape Magic
"The very steam from Vietnam's jungles seems to rise from the pages of Tatjana Soli's tremendously evocative debut…A beautiful book." —Janice Y. K. Lee, author of The Piano Teacher
"A vivid and memorable evocation of wartime Vietnam…I was most impressed by The Lotus Eaters and enjoyed it from start to finish." —Robert Stone, author of Damascus Gate and Fun With Problems
"A mesmerizing novel. Tatjana Soli takes on a monumental task by re-examining a heavily chronicled time and painting it with a lovely, fresh palette. The book is a true gift." —Katie Crouch, author of Girls in Trucks
"Tatjana Soli explores the world of war, themes of love and loss, and the complicated question of what drives us toward the heroic with remarkable compassion and grace. This exquisite first novel is among the best Ive read in years." —Meg Waite Clayton, author of The Wednesday Sisters
"A haunting story of unforgettable people who seek, against overwhelming odds, a kind of redemption. A great read from a writer to watch." —Janet Peery, author of River Beyond the World
Review
"A haunting debut novel…quietly mesmerizing…" --Janet Maslin, The New York Times
“Devastatingly awesome…It's one of those books that I didn't want to put down — I resented everything else that I needed to do in my life, because I didn't want to stop reading it.”-- Nancy Pearl, NPR
“35 years after the fall of Saigon, Solis entrancing debut brings you close enough to feel a part of it." --People
"A haunting world of war, betrayal, courage, obsession, and love." --Tim OBrien, author of The Things They Carried
"You must read The Lotus Eaters, Tatjana Solis beautiful and harrowing new novel. Its characters are unforgettable.” --Richard Russo, author of That Old Cape Magic
"The very steam from Vietnam's jungles seems to rise from the pages of Tatjana Soli's tremendously evocative debut…A beautiful book." --Janice Y. K. Lee, author of The Piano Teacher
Review
"
Jurjevics' 'Nam seethes with conflicted loyalties...a caldera of conflict that Jurjevics depicts with an anthropologist's eye for customs and interrelationships...
This tight-wound thriller drips with historical detail in all its cruelty...hard-boiled realism... [a] splendid contribution to the body of fiction written about Vietnam."
--Kirkus "...intriguing...Jurjevics (The Trudeau Vector), himself a Vietnam veteran, is best when describing the details of daily life during war, particularly those involving the abuse of the huge native tribal population of Montagnards."
-Publishers Weekly "Red Flags is not only an espionage thriller but a fascinating and extraordinarily authentic look at the Vietnam War through the eyes of a wry intelligence officer. You will hear the thumps of the Chinook rotors and feel the Kalashnikovs bullets buzzing past."
- Keith Thomson, New York Times Bestselling author of Once a Spy "In Red Flags, Juris Jurjevics has brilliantly accomplished a feat that is becoming a major characteristic of 21st century literature: the seamless combining of a genre form with the deep resonance of literary art. This is a book that is thrilling to read for both its narrative drive and its insight into the human heart."
- Robert Olen Butler, author of Hell "To step onto the pages of this intriguing spy tale and haunting war story is to feel the swelter of the rain forest, the menace of enemy patrols, and the maddening duplicity of supposed allies. Red Flags is a richly rewarding hitch in harrowing territory. Enlist immediately."
- Dan Fesperman, author of Layover in Dubai "Juris Jurjevics has achieved the seemingly irreconcilable by bringing the Vietnam War back, and simultaneously making it new. He has found new dangers in Vietnam--like it needed them. Its a great thriller, and a great heartbreak, like its subject matter."
-Jim Morris, author of War Story "Red Flags is a gripping tale of adventure and mystery set in the backdrop of the complexity and corruption of the Vietnam War. Jurjevicss extensive research and first-hand experience in Vietnam result in a story that is both amazing and, at the same time, believable. A great read!"
-Doug Bey M.D. 1st Inf.Div Vietnam 1969-1970, author of Wizard 6
Synopsis
A unique and sweeping debut novel that follows an American female combat photographer in the Vietnam War as she captures the wrenching chaos and finds herself torn between the love of two men.
Synopsis
- Winner of UK's James Tait Black Prize
- New York Times Notable Book of 2010
- American Library Association 2011 Notable Book
- Finalist LA Times Book Award
- A Kirkus Reviews Top Debut Fiction of 2010
- Bookmarks Magazine Best Literary Fiction of 2010
In the final days of a falling Saigon, The Lotus Eaters unfolds the story of three remarkable photographers brought together under the impossible umbrella of war: Helen Adams, a once-naïve ingénue whose ambition conflicts with her desire over the course of the fighting; Linh, the mysterious Vietnamese man who loves her, but is torn between conflicting loyalties to his homeland and his heart; and Sam Darrow, a man addicted to the narcotic of violence, to his intoxicating affair with Helen and to the ever-increasing danger of his job. All three become transformed by the conflict they have risked everything to record.
In this much-heralded debut, Tatjana Soli creates a searing portrait of three souls trapped by their impossible passions, contrasting the wrenching horror of combat and the treachery of obsession with the redemptive power of love.
Synopsis
In the remote central highlands of Vietnam, Army CID officer Eric Rider confronts drug-running and corruption that crosses enemy lines and divides loyalties.
Synopsis
Army cop Erik Rider prefers to fight his war in the saloons and streets of Saigon, so he is less than thrilled at being sent to a tiny American outpost in the remote wilderness of the Central Highlands to take down a Viet Cong opium operation hidden in the jungle. When Rider lands in Cheo Reo, things get complicated. Viet Cong battalions are gathering in the surrounding hills like storm clouds, while the corrupt South Vietnamese commander and his troops sit idle. And sixty thousand Montagnard tribespeople want their mountain homeland back.
Soon Rider is entangled with the local CIA man and an alluring doctor serving the indigenous tribes. As he closes in on the opium fields, he learns the hard way that that not all enemies are beyond the perimeter; someone in Cheo Reo wants him dead. Easy enough in a combat zone where killing is common and loyalties are for sale.
Red Flags is a masterly novel of soldiers and spies grappling with forces beyond their control and striving for the most basic goal in war—survival.
Video
About the Author
TATJANA SOLI attended Stanford University and the Warren Wilson MFA program. Her stories have appeared in StoryQuarterly, Confrontation, Gulf Coast, Other Voices, Nimrod, Third Coast, Carolina Quarterly and Sonora Review among others. Her work has been twice listed in the 100 Distinguished Stories in Best American Short Stories and nominated for the Pushcart Prize. She lives in Tustin, California and teaches through the Gotham Writers’ Workshop.
Reading Group Guide
Discussion Questions for The Lotus Eaters:
1) Soli pulled the novel's title, The Lotus Eaters, from an episode in Homer's The Odyssey and uses Homer's description of the land of the lotus-eaters as the novel's opening epigraph. What connection do you see between Homer's lotus-eaters and the main characters of this novel? What, if anything, in this novel acts like the lotus described by Homer, so powerful and seductive it causes one to abandon all thoughts of home? Does each character have a different "lotus" that draws them in? How does the title illuminate the main themes of the novel?
2) The novel begins with the fall of Saigon, and then moves back in time twelve years to the beginning of the war. How do you think this structure contributed to your experience of the novel? Did this glimpse of Helen in 1975 influence how you related to her character at earlier points in her life? Did knowing the outcome affect your judgment of her actions and the action of those around her?
3) Helen makes a pivotal decision at the end of Chapter 1 — to send Linh on the plane and stay behind to “see it end.” Why does she make this decision? How did you feel about it? Did your feelings about it change over the course of the novel?
4) What does Helen think of Vietnam and the Vietnamese people when she first arrives in Saigon? How do her feelings evolve throughout the novel? How does this evolution affect how she comes to view the war and her role in it?
5) In Chapter 3, Darrow says, “The cool thing for us is that when this ones done, theres always another one… The war doesnt ever have to end for us.” Why does he say this to Helen? What does it show about how Darrow views the war and about Darrow himself? When Helen repeats these words back to him in Chapter 11, how has their meaning changed?
6) In Chapter 19, Helen believes that “violence had poisoned them all...” In what ways are Darrow, Helen, and Linh poisoned? What, if anything, keeps each of them from being destroyed by it?
7) Throughout the novel, Helen finds herself in love, and loved by, two very different men. How would you characterize each of her relationships? Did you prefer Helen in one relationship over the other? What are each relationships strengths and weaknesses? Which man do you ultimately believe is Helens great love?
8) Mark Twain said, “Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear.” Bravery and courage are frequently mentioned in the novel. In what ways do the various characters display these traits? In what ways do they fail?
9) What do you think the future holds for Helen at the end of the novel? For Linh?