Review: The Lotus Eaters by Tatjana Soli

Soooo, no matter how many times I try to get a photo of The Lotus Eaters uploaded to Blogger, it is not working.  I tried doing random book covers, and it totally worked.  So for some reason Blogger just doesn't like The Lotus Eaters.....not one cover of it that I tried and not one random title for said covers..

This book is about Helen, a young woman who just arrives in Vietnam with the dream of becoming a war photographer.  There, she meets Sam Darrow, a seasoned photographer, and Linh, a Vietnamese man who works as Darrow's assistant.  This book follows them and their relationship over the years that Helen is in Vietnam and how she changes as a person.

I don't read books about Vietnam very often.  It's not like I'm not interested.  It can just be so depressing!  So I avoid them.  But after this book was published I remember reading a really great review of the book (sorry I can't remember which blog it was on!), and I was like "I need to buy this!".  And I did buy it, but I finally just read it now.  I loved it.

I'm not sure how accurate all the facts about the war and whatnot are, but that doesn't really matter because the book is really about Helen and her life within the war in Saigon.  When she first arrives she is a positive young woman, there basically to find out how her brother died there the year before.  I loved seeing the transition in her.  I really connected with Helen and with Linh and Darrow.  Linh actually became my favorite character.  He goes through so much but is still able to be a good person.

I didn't realize how much this book had stuck with me until the other night.  I had finished the book about a week before, and I had the craziest dream that Boyfriend and I were in Saigon and needed to evacuate but he wanted to stay and be a hero and it was weird.  But then I woke up and was like "well I guess that book really got into my mind..".  And it did, and I'm really glad that I finally read it!  I think one of my favorite parts of the whole thing were just the descriptions of Saigon and the small towns seen through Helen's eyes.  It made me want to see it all for myself.

Title: The Lotus Eaters
Author: Tatjana Soli
Date of Publication: 2010
Number of Pages: 389
Genre: Fiction
Source: Personal Copy