Saturday, August 16, 2014

THE COLLECTION OF HENG SOUK by S.R. Wilscher


book coverThe effects of war can be devastating for generations with the aftermath touching lives in ways never imagined.

Author S.R. Wilscher deals with these issues in his novel, THE COLLECTION OF HENG SOUK. The story deals with three families whose lives were touched and guided by the Vietnam War and the consequences the next generation had to deal with.

The author begins with two separate stories pulling them together for dramatic revelations that leads to a third connection. The story weaves both and forth in a smooth flow between the present and the past and back again.

Following the death of her father, Sun takes a package to her father’s estranged brother, Heng Souk. She discovers he is a frail, old man with his own demons. She learns he was an interrogator at The Citadel, a notorious Vietnamese prison. He still had a notebook written by one of the American POWs. 

Meanwhile, Thomas Allen learns upon his father’s death that the man he had loved was not his biological father. His real father had gone to Vietnam and never returned. Needing answers, Allen’s search leads him to Sun and her uncle. 

The prisoner writing the journal, Ephraim Luther, knew Allen’s father and was with him The Citadel. Through the journal and Sun’s help, Allen comes to know more about his father. After locating Luther, Allen learns his father’s fate.

This is an emotional story of lives altered by the war and its aftermath. The author addresses the choices made by many as part of their duty during the war. 

THE COLLECTION OF HENG SOUK is both heartbreaking and inspiring. It deals with understanding and forgiveness. The author has created characters that are realistic and well-developed. Their sorrows and joys stay with you long after the story ends.

The Collection of Heng Souk by S.R. Wilscher, @2013, ASIN: B00CMFU3X0, Kindle, 423 KB, 244 Pages 

FTC Full Disclosure – A copy of this book was sent to me by the author in hopes I would review it. However, receiving the complimentary copy did not influence my review. The thoughts are completely my own and given honestly and freely.

Thanks for stopping by today. I hope you’re having a relaxing day and enjoying a good book. What are you reading today?

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6 comments:

  1. You rarely hear it from the side of the Vietnamese.
    My father served in Vietnam as a pilot.

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    1. Alex, it is true you rarely read anything depicting the story from the other side. My brother served in Vietnam.

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  2. Mason - What an interesting-sounding novel! War is devastating and does, as you point out touch all of us. And this novel seems to offer a valuable perspective on that controversial war. Thanks for sharing it.

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    1. Margot, war has a way of touching people long after it has ended and this book is a good example of that.

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  3. I'd enjoy this one, I love to read books on history and those about wars and their aftermath are especially educational and enlightening if they're not biased.

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    1. Dez, I found this one to be enlightening as I had never really thought about the war from the other side's perspective.

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