An Author a Day for Thirty Days: Day 10

I think we may have mentioned Nam Le in passing, but still, it's a real travesty we haven't spent more time talking about him and his amazing collection of stories. This young writer only has one book under his belt, an astonishing collection of stories called The Boat (right now Liz is banging her head on the table for not picking this guy before I did). [Seriously. I hate Gianna so much right now.]

These stories are highly emotional, beautifully written, and not just a little different. It’s a book that takes chances, all of which pay off.  Nam Le has been nominated or won about two dozen prizes, and it’s apparent why about five pages into the first story. An Australian by way of Vietnam, he became a lawyer (even appointed to the Supreme Court of Victoria), but you know how love is … he ultimately attended the Iowa Writers’ Workshop and now he is just making us wait for another book.

If you like Junot Diaz, Adam Haslett, or Jennifer Egan, you will enjoy Nam Le. We just posted a link on our Facebook page to a GalleyCat story, ruminating on which books will still be read one hundred years from now. I would add The Boat to their list. [Yeah. It's better than most of the books on that list. I love this book. I hate Gianna.]