Sixteen-year-old Kim Nguyen is a Northern Vietnamese girl, the plain, good-hearted second daughter who wants what every girl she knows wants: a good boyfriend and a fun, carefree life. But then she almost drowns on a boat trip with her school friends and gains a dangerous new ability. Having seen "the other shore" she develops a frightening prescience. Just by touching the skin of a stranger she can see into their life. But it is when her new abilities bring her to the attention of the Communist government - which sets her to work communing with the remains of the war dead - that her young life spirals out of control. For all Vietnam bleeds ghosts...

This was a fascinating, hallucinatory reading experience. A devoted Buddhist, Kim struggles to appease the hungry ghosts of the dead and the grasping aspirations of the living while trying to maintain the tenets of her faith: that there are no politics on the other shore, and all spirits deserve the right to peace.

Some of the political nuances escaped me, unfortunately, but the patriarchy that rules Kim's family life and government work seemed depressingly familiar. In a brief and moving book, Kim is assailed from every side. There is assault (both physical and psychic), a defection and immigration detention, and no choice but to compromise. But in the end, there's hope.

In reading "The Other Shore" you have to be prepared to believe. Goes without saying this book was right up my alley.aus-lit children-s-and-ya diverse-ya ...more1 Lisa3,448 453

One of the signs of a loss of innocence in children is the emergence of superpower fantasies: having great strength to overcome ‘the bad guys’; being invisible so that one can get into mischief undetected; and being able to read the minds of others so that their secrets can be discovered. I was about eleven when I read H G Wells’ The Invisible Man and discovered the tragic loneliness of its protagonist, but— except for dystopias with a political agenda 1984— until now I’ve never encountered a book exploring the consequences of mind-reading. Melbourne author Hoa Pham’s The Other Shore was the winner of the 2014 Viva La Novella Prize and it’s an intriguing book.

This is the blurb:


‘My grandmother had been right to hide her Buddhist rituals for so many years during doi moi, when ancestor worship was forbidden. The spirits were more important than the rules of men.’ When the dead begin speaking to sixteen-year-old Kim Nguyen, her peaceful childhood is over. Suddenly everyone wants to exploit her new talent – her family, the Vietnamese government and even the spirits themselves. The Other Shore is a delicate meditation on the nature of ghosts, belief and how the future is shaped by the past.

A near-drowning on Hoan Kiem Lake in Hanoi changes Kim’s life. (This lake in central Hanoi is a sacred lake with a powerful mythology embodied in the temple that you can see in the picture on my blog). Thanks to her grandmother’s intervention to protect the shrine of their ancestors when the Communist government was at its most rigid in suppressing religion, the goddess Quan Âm saves Kim’s life and gives her the power of reading the thoughts of others if she touches them. But it turns out to be a dubious gift.

Kim is only sixteen but the psychic power makes her grow up fast. She soon learns that the thoughts of her parents and sister are shallow, greedy and manipulative. Her sister has always been the preferred daughter, and Kim’s days are blighted by anxiety that she may never fulfil the expectation that she should marry. Her father exploits her power to raise money to pay for her sister’s wedding, and before long Communist party officials demand that she work for them to identify the restless spirits that are interfering with a road project where a mass grave has been found.

Whereas H G Wells’ novel used a semi-scientific device to enable invisibility in The Invisible Man, the psychic gifts in The Other Shore derive from the spirit world, and the sceptical reader not only has to accept the idea that Kim can identify bodies in mass graves through the restless spirits that have not been laid to rest, but also that a 21st century government would commission her to do it. Fortunately, the sceptical reader can find meaning in other aspects of the novel.

To read the rest of my review please visit https://anzlitlovers.com/2018/11/23/t...australia c21st novella mims135

“hope for democracy one day against the communists. democracy what they had in america” thats basically all you need to know about this book. if this statement speaks to you please seek help in becoming a materialist

suffice to say i did not enjoy this at all. i appreciate the attention to us war crimes during the vietnam war including the truly fucked and demonic operation wandering soul. however one of the most cowardly things you can do as a diaspora writer is take an anticommunist stance and assert that religion was right all along. or assert that antiimperialist fighters “went too far. “ because the west will eat that right up. who does it serve to say that the socialist republic of vietnam was evil and bad and that the temples were full
of angels actually before the evil communists burned them down. WHO benefits from that message :-/ also the fact that the plot was about escaping to america and getting heterosexually married. what an utter waste of a great premise Catherine736 18

I picked this book up from one of the local community libraries. A fascinating read, totally different to what I normally pick up. The story was haunting even though it was told in such a matter-of-fact voice. I do not know much about Vietnamese culture so have nothing to compare the main character’s circumstances to, but I enjoyed the way the author wove the political agenda and the religious beliefs into each other.australian-fiction literary-fiction Greg747 4

Hoa Pham is one of a burgeoning group of young Asian writers in Australia, some of whom are producing some excellent books. The Other Shore is set in postwar Ha Noi and is about Kim Nguyen, a reserved 17 year old schoolgirl. Kim has an accident and almost drowns. On recovery, she realises that she has become a psychic; Kim can now read people's minds by touching them. As she learns this, she is not sure if it's a blessing or a curse.

Her father is sure and tries to use her to raise money for her sister's wedding. Eventually the military learn of Kim's abilities and dragoon her into working for a military psychic unit. Kim's job is to handle human remains and divine where they are from, so that families who lost their loved ones in the war can be reunited. Kim is a bit reluctant, but reasons that this is a worthy use of the talent that the Goddess Quan Am has given her.

In her dreams, Kim sees the spirits of her grandmother and of the dead that she encounters in her work on the Other Shore. They entreat her to use her skill to reunite the hated South Vietnamese victims as well as Northerners, something the military strongly disapproves of. They also warn her about her boss Bac Phuc. After seeking guidance, Kim decides to defy the military and help the spirits of South Vietnamese and American dead as well. She is discovered, and her world comes crashing down.

This is an unusual take on a war novel, being about the effect of war on the next generation, among the winners, the losers and those who fled. Hoa Pham imbues Kim's psychic activities with the utmost credibility; nobody in Vietnam questions that such a thing would occur and when Kim does encounter sceptics, the reader immediately concludes that they are wrong to doubt her. That's quite a feat for a reader as left-brained and sceptical as I am, and is a testament to the author's story-telling. This brief novel intelligently tackles the difficulties of post-war reconciliation, and how there is no gift that comes without a price. I have already bought another Hoa Pham book, and will probably keep on doing so.2015 asian-authors australian ...more JaneAuthor 11 books139


There are some great ideas in this novella. I really enjoyed the insight into contemporary Vietnamese culture, the conflict between religion and Communism, the omnipresence of the Party and the way it warps relationships and behaviours, the thread of north-south conflict still running through everything, the overwhelming emphasis on money. Using a teenage girl who suddenly becomes psychic as the mirror on that world is an excellent approach.
Top marks for cover and overall design - this book was a pleasure to have in the hand.australian aww2014 female ...more Katharine (Ventureadlaxre)1,522 48 Read

Katharine is a judge for the Aurealis Awards. This entry is the personal opinion of Katharine herself, and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of any judging panel, the judging coordinator or the Aurealis Awards management team.

To be safe, I won't be recording my thoughts (if I choose to) here until after the AA are over.aurealis-awards-2014 read-2015 Kelly Callaghan920 1 follower

Kim is a 16 year old Vietnamese girl who is interested in the things all teenagers , music, friends, boys and fun. Following an accident Kim develops psychic powers. This small book is the story of coming to terms with her powers while others would use them for their own benefit. Q143 17

Great concept and plot, characterisation a little thin, enjoyable nonetheless.australian diaspora-migrant novels ...more Dee5

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