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Fiction General

That Summer in Provincetown

by (author) Caroline Vu

Publisher
Guernica Editions
Initial publish date
Jul 2015
Category
General, Literary, Coming of Age
  • Paperback / softback

    ISBN
    9781771830355
    Publish Date
    Jul 2015
    List Price
    $20.00

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Description

Daniel, a young French-Vietnamese man, lies dying in a Montreal hospital. Spurned by his family for contracting AIDS in Provincetown, Daniel spends his last months in despair. Only his cousin Mai stays by his side to record the darkest of family secrets. From French Indochina to present day North America, this novel follows three generations of a Vietnamese family as they endure their own folly and the whims of history.

About the author

Born in Vietnam, Caroline Vu left her native country at the age of 11. She lives in Montreal, where she works as a family physician at a community health centre. Her first novel, Palawan Story, won the Canadian Author Association's Fred Kerner Prize and was shortlisted for the Concordia University First Book Prize. Her second novel, That Summer in Provincetown, was optioned by Chantal Thuy. Catinat Boulevard is her third novel.

Caroline Vu's profile page

Editorial Reviews

The universality of Caroline Vu’s subtle messaging distinguishes her as one of Canada’s most exciting emerging authors.

Ottawa Review of Books

Through circumstance, a family and its unravelling, the tracing of a simple migration, Caroline Vu brings to our doorstep the devastation of a generation.

Claudio Gaudio, author of Texas and 2013 ReLit finalist

A stunning portrait of a family, tinged with the colours of confabulation and set against the bloody backdrop of Vietnamese history.

Claire Holden Rothman, Governor General finalist and author of The Heart Specialist

User Reviews

A Beautiful Novel

That Summer in Provincetown is truly a beautiful novel, enhanced by the wit of the author, Caroline Vu. Breaking most of the rules about "arcing" the plot, Vu pulls together a delightful family narrative, which weaves its way in and out the historical events of contemporary Vietnam.
Watch this author. She may well be a contender for Canada's most prestigious literary prizes in 2015.