
Black Heron Publishing
Hardcover; 368p
ISBN-10: 0930773888
The setting is Tonkin (northern Vietnam) at the turn of the 20th century. A boy, Tai, witnesses the beheading of his father, a notorious bandit, and sets out to recover his head and then to find the man who betrayed his father to the authorities. On this quest, Tai's entire world will shift. FLESH takes the reader into dark and delightful places in the human condition, places where allies are not always your friends, true love hurts, and your worst enemy may bring you the most comfort. In that emotionally harrowing world, Tai must learn to deal with new responsibilities in his life while at the same time acknowledging his bond, and his resemblance, to a man he barely knew--his father. Through this story of revenge is woven another story, one of love, but love purchased with the blood of murders Tai commits. A coming-of-age story, but also a love story, the sensuality of the author's writing style belies the sometimes brutal world he depicts.
Read an excerpt HERE.
Book Trailer
Praise for FLESH
"Vietnam-born Ha’s beautifully described [. . .] first novel, set in his native country at the turn of the 20th century, opens with an infamous yet respected bandit being beheaded in front of his wife and their two young sons. This beginning casts a pall over the tale as Tài, the eldest son, embarks on a far-reaching journey to retrieve his father’s skull, find a suitable burial site, and seek revenge on the man who betrayed his father’s trust. Through a series of twists and turns [. . .] Tài trades two years’ service to a wealthy entrepreneur for land on which to bury the father’s remains. During that time, Tài loses his heart to Xiaoli, an indentured servant working in an opium den, and will do anything—including holding off on vengeance and killing a French soldier—to protect her. In this dark, violent, and poetic saga, with disjointed cinematic vignettes that make it often read like a screenplay, characters are not who they seem. While this makes for a thrilling finale, what lingers [. . .] is Ha’s descriptive prose." - Publishers Weekly

Khanh Ha’s debut novel is FLESH (June 2012, Black Heron Press). He graduated from Ohio University with a bachelor’s degree in Journalism. During his teen years he began writing short stories which won him several awards in the Vietnamese adolescent magazines. He is at work on a new novel. A short story, reshaped from this novel, was publised by Red Savina Review in its 2013 Spring inaugural edition. It was also nominated for the Winter Literary Award in the Tethered by Letters Journal but was withrawn because of conflict of interest. Another Ha’s short story was published in the 2013 February Outside in Literary & Travel Magazine (http://outsideinmagazine.com/)
For further information on FLESH, please visit the author's website and blog.
Virtual Book Tour Schedule
Monday, March 25
Feature & Giveaway at Passages to the Past
Tuesday, March 26
Review at Raging Blbliomania
Wednesday, March 27
Interview at Tribute Books
Thursday, March 28
Review & Giveaway at A Bookish Affair
Friday, March 29
Review at The Musings of a Book Junkie
Monday, April 1
Giveaway at A Writer's Life: Working with the Muse
Tuesday, April 2
Review & Giveaway at Cheryl's Book Nook
Wednesday, April 3
Review & Giveaway at Flashlight Commentary
Thursday, April 4
Review at Ageless Pages Reviews
Friday, April 5
Review & Giveaway at The True Book Addict
Monday, April 8
Review at Oh, for the Hook of a Book!
Tuesday, April 9
Interview at Bibliophilic Book Blog
Wednesday, April 10
Review at Confessions of an Avid Reader
Review & Giveaway at A Bookish Libraria
Thursday, April 11
Interview at Oh, for the Hook of a Book!
Friday, April 12
Review at So Many Books, So Little Time
Monday, April 15
Review at bookramblings
Tuesday, April 16
Review & Giveaway at The Eclectic Reader
Wednesday, April 17
Review at I Read a Book Once
Thursday, April 18
Review at Book Nerds
Giveaway
Passages to the Past has one hardcover of FLESH up for grabs! To enter, please complete the Rafflecopter entry form below.
Giveaway is open US, CAN, AUS & England residents. Giveaway ends on April 3rd. Good luck!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thanks for the giveaway! denannduvall@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteI really want to read this! It sounds intense. I loved the book trailer, too. It really gave me an understanding of how atmospheric this book will be. Thanks for the giveaway, too!
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