Paradise of the Blind #1 ~ Preview of Doung Thu Huong's Novel

    "An intriguing and exquisite cover. Oh, and its light, the shape is comfortable, and the texture of the pages are soothing" were truly my initial thoughts about Doung's work. These positive commentaries hooked me to the book as I was getting prepared to read the story at the patio of my house, sipping my coffee with a cold breeze brushing my face. But of course, after I read the back page and the translator's introduction, I was really dragged into the story itself.
   As a person who enjoys different cultures, I was really glad to see that now, for the first time, I'd thoroughly read about Vietnamese traditions, emotions, and hard times. When I learned that the story took place during the war, I was even more interested in the story since I love post war affects on different societies because I believe that these hard times are what really builds the character of the society and defines the country. After the short introduction, I honestly read about ten to fifteen pages from the actual story before writing a 'preview' for the book.

   When Hann's flashback took her to when her mother told Hann the story of her father, it made me think about knowing my identity, or moreover, re-knowing my identity. Since the mother was at the house of her own ancestors in the story the setting seemed perfect. This also emphasised the importance of family in the Vietnamese culture. The selfless mother always abides by the rules, which are two other characteristics that lets me see more about this culture. Little hints like these made me more interested about the culture and I found myself reading in between lines and making marks in the book to make sure that I can get the full feel of the people.
   Huong's literary language also is intriguing. Sentences like "Life was all around her, but it was a life that belonged to others." previewed the society at that time, which made me more excited because like I said, any post-war society characteristics are astonishing for me. Another preview was that the book would hold love as a trending theme; "I saw passion in her gaze: the last, fiery glow of a love that was infinite, irretrievable, the kind that you live only once..."
  All in all, as you might tell, I am surely excited to read more about the story of Hann's family and the Vietnamese society. I believe that the character I chose will also be a well fit to identify the fighters and strong women of post-war conditions in strict societies.