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A review by korrick
The Headmaster's Wager by Vincent Lam
4.0
3.5/5
Sometimes reality throws books at me whose components are such an equivocating mix of 'fucking finally' and 'same old same old' that my quibbles aren't going to prevent me from rating it positively enough that others who need a far heavier dose of reality will (hopefully) be lead towards it. Welcome to a story that's the immigrant narrative in some ways and a far more honest record of colonization in others, history proving itself once again stranger than any sentimental drip or gore porn composition can conjure up. Welcome as well to a work that runs the line between character/plot and trope rather too closely and whose prose could've used a better editor, if not a better writer. My edition's one of those oddities with a reading guide at the end, something I hope other readers skip in favor of the author's meditation on memory, which in addition to being an always necessary addition to ontology may offer closure in some respects if you're not too picky about the death of your author. The 'A Vietnam Reading List' has a few titles I wouldn't mind making an unread recommendation of, including one I'm seriously considering for my own shelves, but considering my personal rule of not reading white people writing about non-white people, I can't back up a list that's 60% invalidated by its tendency towards whitesplaining.
As for the book itself, I would've liked a more complicated portrayal of this period of time that really delved into the layers of successive ethnic domination, where a span of five decades of white people is but the tip of the iceberg of at least a thousand years of imperial domination that occurred before the Renaissance was a twinkle in the crusader's eye. This didn't happen, but as consequence I had a sizable length of relatively engaging narrative that I could rely on whenever I wasn't up for grinding my way through the two pieces of nonfic and one piece of experimental I also have on hand. For those of you who don't have much of an introduction to the American War (pieces with treat with it as the "Vietnam War" don't count), this isn't a difficult place to start. It's also a political thriller, if you like that sort of thing, although the main character was rendered so oblivious that I was slightly frustrated by his utmost refusal to wake up and smell the roses of intrigue. However, one could make a good case for that being done on purpose, what with the effort it takes to wear so many masks and put one's faith in one edifice, then another, then another.
I've recently come to the conclusion that, for me, there are certain books that I am willing to watch but not willing to read, case in point when it comes to [b:The Girl on the Train|22557272|The Girl on the Train|Paula Hawkins|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1469460259s/22557272.jpg|41107568] and a few others. There are also books that I am willing to read but feel that, after the fact, I would probably enjoy a film of it more; one can't run on deep and unyielding and unfilmable interiority 24/7. There's also the aesthetics to consider, as a narrative that is at times as glamorous as it is sordid and full of despair has a lot of potential when it comes to the chiaroscuro department. Of course, this would all be ruined if the Hollywood got their hands on this and pulled yet another DBZ or GitS in filling it with white people, but I'm hoping the inevitable sinking of the latter will either convince them to keep their mitts off, or really consider what it means that they can't name any Chinese expatriated from Vietnam actors off the top of their head.
Sometimes reality throws books at me whose components are such an equivocating mix of 'fucking finally' and 'same old same old' that my quibbles aren't going to prevent me from rating it positively enough that others who need a far heavier dose of reality will (hopefully) be lead towards it. Welcome to a story that's the immigrant narrative in some ways and a far more honest record of colonization in others, history proving itself once again stranger than any sentimental drip or gore porn composition can conjure up. Welcome as well to a work that runs the line between character/plot and trope rather too closely and whose prose could've used a better editor, if not a better writer. My edition's one of those oddities with a reading guide at the end, something I hope other readers skip in favor of the author's meditation on memory, which in addition to being an always necessary addition to ontology may offer closure in some respects if you're not too picky about the death of your author. The 'A Vietnam Reading List' has a few titles I wouldn't mind making an unread recommendation of, including one I'm seriously considering for my own shelves, but considering my personal rule of not reading white people writing about non-white people, I can't back up a list that's 60% invalidated by its tendency towards whitesplaining.
As for the book itself, I would've liked a more complicated portrayal of this period of time that really delved into the layers of successive ethnic domination, where a span of five decades of white people is but the tip of the iceberg of at least a thousand years of imperial domination that occurred before the Renaissance was a twinkle in the crusader's eye. This didn't happen, but as consequence I had a sizable length of relatively engaging narrative that I could rely on whenever I wasn't up for grinding my way through the two pieces of nonfic and one piece of experimental I also have on hand. For those of you who don't have much of an introduction to the American War (pieces with treat with it as the "Vietnam War" don't count), this isn't a difficult place to start. It's also a political thriller, if you like that sort of thing, although the main character was rendered so oblivious that I was slightly frustrated by his utmost refusal to wake up and smell the roses of intrigue. However, one could make a good case for that being done on purpose, what with the effort it takes to wear so many masks and put one's faith in one edifice, then another, then another.
I've recently come to the conclusion that, for me, there are certain books that I am willing to watch but not willing to read, case in point when it comes to [b:The Girl on the Train|22557272|The Girl on the Train|Paula Hawkins|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1469460259s/22557272.jpg|41107568] and a few others. There are also books that I am willing to read but feel that, after the fact, I would probably enjoy a film of it more; one can't run on deep and unyielding and unfilmable interiority 24/7. There's also the aesthetics to consider, as a narrative that is at times as glamorous as it is sordid and full of despair has a lot of potential when it comes to the chiaroscuro department. Of course, this would all be ruined if the Hollywood got their hands on this and pulled yet another DBZ or GitS in filling it with white people, but I'm hoping the inevitable sinking of the latter will either convince them to keep their mitts off, or really consider what it means that they can't name any Chinese expatriated from Vietnam actors off the top of their head.