The Trader of Saigon

Description

In the chaos and corruption of 1980s' Vietnam, three seemingly unconnected lives are brought together by greed, fear and hope. As a US Army deserter, Alexander is a man without country; trapped in a life he no longer controls and embroiled in the dark business of trading women. His latest victim is Hanh, a rural girl who moved to Hanoi to escape inevitable poverty and who sees Alexander's arrival as the answer to her prayers. Neither of them has ever met Phuc - a Vietnamese businessman who backed the wrong side in the war and is now unable to pay his financial and political debts to the Party. But his struggles are about to change both their lives. From a society torn apart by war comes a tale of redemption and salvation; a thrilling saga and an explosive debut novel.

Lucy Cruickshanks' love of travel inspires her writing. A great fan of the underdog, she's drawn to countries with troubled recent histories, writing about periods of time when societies are at their most precarious and fraught with risk. She's fascinated by their uniqueness and moral ambiguity, and in capturing the people who must navigate them. Her debut novel, The Trader of Saigon, began life after she sat beside a man on a flight who made his fortune selling women. It was shortlisted for the Authors' Club Best First Novel Award and the Guardian Not The Booker Prize, longlisted for the Waverton Goodread Award and named a Top Ten Book of 2013 by The Bookbag. Lucy was born in 1984 and raised in Cornwall, UK. She holds a BA in Politics and Philosophy from the University of Warwick and an MA in Creative Writing from Bath Spa University. She lives on the south coast of England and divides her time between writing and caring for her young family.

'Vivid, startling and absorbing ... a really compelling novel' Matthew Plampin. * Matthew Plampin * 'A touching, sometimes brutal slice of life from the Saigon that remained when the war correspondents went home. Authentic, beautiful and highly accomplished; all novels should aspire to be this good' Bookbag. * Bookbag * 'A gripping tale that is complex and profound ... Beautifully written, immensely atmospheric, the characters are unforgettable ... This is a compelling story that will touch your heart' Kate Furnivall. * Kate Furnivall * A beautifully atmospheric novel. Cruickshanks' writing and detailed descriptions of the post-civil war country simply leaves me wanting more * Page to Stage * Vivid, startling and absorbing * Matthew Plampin, author of The Devil's Acre * A touching, sometimes brutal slice of life from the Saigon that remained when the war correspondents went home. It's authentic, beautiful and highly accomplished: all novels should aspire to be this good * Bookbag, Book of the Month * A gripping tale that is complex and profound... Beautifully written, immensely atmospheric, the characters are unforgettable... This is a compelling story that will touch your heart * Kate Furnivall, author of The White Pearl * Compelling and involving... there is a raw energy * Guardian *