Mrs. Rossi’s Dream, by Khanh Ha, (The Permanent Press, 2019, $29.95, 311 pages)
War: “From Both Sides Now”
An intriguing premise: Viet Nam,
more than10 years after the ‘war’ ends, alternating with Vietnam 1967; both,
from both sides.
Viet Nam, 1987, the mother
of a GI missing in 1967, presumed dead. Her adopted teenage daughter (Vietnamese).
Searching for the GI.
Hmmmmmm. . . .
An intriguing book cover
with white water lilies and just the hint of a GI in the background, possibly
to be overlooked on the book cover itself but very visible online.
Better Summary than . . . .
Mrs. Rossi’s Dream could easily have been a collection of short stories some of which
intercalate until they merge almost too quickly: numerous stories which merely
set the stage rather than advance the narrative, but the vignettes set the
stage well, even if some or most seem to have nothing to do with the characters
at the time.
You will smell the fragrance
(and stench) of a tropical country, you will hear the night sounds of crickets,
you will taste rice in all its glory and in every conceivable combination, and
you will even be shocked and disappointed by human nature during war (unless
you were part of it).
You will learn a few words
of Vietnamese and look up place names and other historical facts about the war
in general.
You will read what GIs thought
of the Vietnamese people and why many North Vietnamese young men dreaded their conscription
(“Born North, Die South”).
You will hear the voice of
LT Rossi, the American; of a POW and his guards; of Vietnamese elders and young
villagers; of the Viet Minh and Viet Cong and the NVA (North Vietnamese Army)
but you may easily mix them all up.
Suffice it to say that you
will experience 1967 Vietnam and 1987 Vietnam, war and post-war Vietnam, but
always in the countryside of fireflies and constant rain and floods and rice
and leeches.
Mrs. Rossi’s Dream
Mrs. Rossi’s dream is either
her hope of finding her son or his remains, the purpose behind her trip to
Vietnam along with her adopted Vietnamese daughter ,or perhaps her son came to
her in a dream and she wants to verify the dream. Or it may just be wishful
thinking. Which ever it is, is up to the reader.
A literature junkie will
find much to discover and discuss. Anyone familiar with the war and the
language will find even more, either because he was in the military in Vietnam
or perhaps studied the language and culture for work (as I did).
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