The Lotus Eaters is an award-winning novel by Tatjana Soli

Tatjana Soli

Tatjana Soli is an American novelist and short story writer.-Life:She graduated from Stanford University, and the Warren Wilson College with an MFA....

. It tells the story of an American woman, Helen Adams, who goes to Vietnam to cover the war as a combat photojournalist. It was awarded the James Tait Black Memorial Prize

James Tait Black Memorial Prize

Founded in 1919, the James Tait Black Memorial Prizes are among the oldest and most prestigious book prizes awarded for literature written in the English language and are Britain's oldest literary awards...

 for fiction.

Plot

The novel tells the story of a love triangle

Love triangle

A love triangle is usually a romantic relationship involving three people. While it can refer to two people independently romantically linked with a third, it usually implies that each of the three people has some kind of relationship to the other two...

 between three people in Vietnam War

Vietnam War

The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...

 1967 to 1976 is love, obsession and betrayal Her soldier brother who was photographer was killed in Vietnam Helen Adams decided to followed her brother's footsteps despite her mother's protests. After she came to Vietnam Helen met her mentor Samuel Andre Darrow who is famous prize-winning photographer in the war and she begun feelings for him but smooted by Sam's Vietnamese assistant Lihn who was ex-soldier and playwright whose tragic past for losing his family by war which Helen and Lihn are closer and Sam become Lihn's love rival then Both Linh and Helen are struggled for two counties and trials they faced include Sam's death

Characters

• Helen Adams: An American woman who dreams to become a photographer for Life Magazine. Her father and brother Michael were soldiers. Dropping out of college due Michael's death, Helen decided to go Vietnam and fell in love with Sam Darrow, however the relationship was tested by a love triangle and also Sam's problems and behavior. After Darrow's death, Helen marries his assistant, Lihn, and becomes his second wife. In the end, she reunited with Lihn in Cambodia and was nicknamed "Helen of Saigon" by Vietnamese people

• Nguyen Pran Linh: Helen's husband and Ex-soldier, Linh was son of Hanoi professor who fled from North Vietnam and was forced as spy . Lihn's first wife, Mai, died while pregnant with the couple's first child. He was saved by Sam Darrow while in jail and became his assistant. SHortly after, he met Helen Adams, Sam's protege and lover, in which he and Sam became rivals for her affection. After Sam's death, Helen becomes his second wife. He is an aspiring playwright and his real name is Tran Bau Lihn.
• Samuel Andre Darrow : Nicknamed as Sam, he was Helen's mentor and a famous photographer of Hungarian heritage. His real name is Sam Koropec and he had left his country at 15. His father-in-law is head of the newspaper and he is married to Lily. He was beginning to fall in love with Helen, but was killing in a helicopter crash. Due to Sam's drinking, Helen and Lihn became closer. Sam knew that Lihn loved Helen.
• Robert: A friend of Sam's who jokes about Helen being Sam's girlfriend and has feelings for Annick.
• Annick : A young woman who befriends Helen and dates Robert. She owns a store that Helen frequents.
• Tran Bau Ca : Linh's older brother was killed along with his family.
• Matt Tanner : A marine who tried raped Helen before she beat him.
• Michael Adams: Helen's older brother who was killed as soldier and Micahel is animal lover who saved a puppy's life
• Mai : Linh's first wife who died by war when she pregnant with their child
• General Olsen: An American soldier
• Jerry Nichols: USAID worker who had Vietnamese gilfriend
• Maih: a widow of two children whom Ngan felling in love
• Ngah: a young traveller and guide who falling in love with a widow
• Tran Bin Thao: Lihn's brother who hide feelings for Lan from his brother and married then expected their first child together
• Lan:Mai's sister who crushed on Lihn although he never return to her. she begged Helen to give her camera but she refused then she apologized Helen return from Vietnam. She married Thao and carrying their child going named Mai after her sister
• Taon: Linh's brother in law and Mai and Lan's brother
• Mr Bao : Linh's boss who actually sells drugs to foreigners
• Gary: Helen's boss also for Sam
• Lily Darrow: Sam's ex-wife who blames Helen for his death in Saigon
• Charlotte Adams:Helen's and Micahel's mother her husband went Korean War and her son went to Vientnam War who met Lihn as her son-in-law in end of novel
• Mrs Xuan: Lihn's neighbour who attended Lihn's and Helen's wedding

External links

• The Lotus Eaters, Tatjana Soli's website.