A powerful novel of a family haunted by the aftershocks of the Vietnam War—from the Pulitzer Prize–winning author of a A Good Scent from a Strange Mountain. “You share a war in one way. You pass it on in another.” Passionate student activism brought Robert Quinlan together with his future wife during the tumultuous years of the Vietnam War. But since then, the long-married Florida university professors have grown apart. Their crumbling relationship is mirrored by Robert’s estrangement from his brother . . . alienated by the same controversial war. Now, with their father—a World War II veteran—lying close to death, the rift in the family is sorely tested when Robert’s brother refuses to put the past aside and return to say goodbye. And when Robert mistakes a homeless stranger for a fellow Vietnam veteran, his unstable presence in their lives will further stir the emotional scars that shattered the Quinlan men . . . and take its toll on those they love most. “Butler’s Faulknerian shuttling back and forth across the decades has less to do with literary pyrotechnics than with cutting to the chase. Perfume River hits its marks with a high-stakes intensity . . . Butler’s prose is fluid, and his handling of his many time-shifts as lucid as it is urgent. His descriptive gifts don’t extend just to his characters’ traits or their Florida and New Orleans settings, but to the history he’s addressing.” —Michael Upchurch, New York Times Book Review “Butler moves easily among his characters to create a composite portrait of a family that has been wrecked by choices made during the Vietnam War.” —Beth Nguyen, San Francisco Chronicle “The story builds its force with great care . . . Its power is that we want to keep reading. The entire journey is masterfully rendered, Butler lighting a path back into the cave, completely unafraid.” —Benjamin Busch, Washington Post “Butler greatly enlarges our sense of what the Vietnam War cost to a generation . . . Perfume River tells a human story that sums up an entire era of American life.” —Miami Herald “Butler’s assured, elegant novel . . . speaks eloquently of the way the past bleeds into the present, history reverberates through individual lives, and mortality challenges our perceptions of ourselves and others.” —Publishers Weekly “A heartbreaking story of fathers and sons and their expectations and disappointments . . . Perfume River is a powerful work that asks profound questions about betrayal and loyalty.” —BookPage

"This anthology, named The perfume river after one of Vietnam's most poetic waterways, draws together writing 'from Vietnam' in every sense. The writers live in vietnam and a number of other countries. Some are of Vietnamese background, others are not. For all, Vietnam has defined itself as a voice of inspiration, of homeland, memory and discovery."-- Book jacket.

"Eighteen-year-old Jimmy Miller, called Singer by his platoon mates, wants to prove his bravery in the trials of war, but he never considered how hard it would be to kill a man or what might happen if he did. He doesn't think about death and dying; he only imagines the glory. But when a vicious North Vietnamese Army ambush engulfs Singer and his friends, everything changes. In the heat of battle, Singer confronts the terrible truth of war and discovers a frightening darkness within himself. His struggle to survive takes on a deeper meaning that tests his courage in ways he never expected"--Back cover.

Post World War II America and teenage boys dreamed of adventure growing up in the 1950s, listened to Elvis Presley and read Jack Kerouac, yet it wasn't cruising Route 66 in a Corvette that united them, but Highway 1, known as the Street Without Joy, on the way to Hue city during the 1968 Tet Offensive in Vietnam. It was the dawning of the Age of Aquarius, Civil Rights and the pill, young girls in long boots and short skirts, but not for those in the jungle and rice paddies of Southeast Asia. Full of innocence and dreams, adolescent passion and coming of age horror, RIVER OF PERFUMES captures the contradictions of the times and what the brutality of war does to young men in battle, and a country that stayed home and abandoned them. "Mike Stokey has written a story which slowly sucks you in until you're trapped. Then, as you get deeper and deeper, you don't want it to end. Worse...you begin dreading what might happen to characters you've come to know, with whom you now identify. The battle for Hue, Tet 1968 is well-known, but the story for Arthur Latimere, a newbie Marine combat correspondent, hasn't been told before. Hang on to your guts when you take this journey." John M. Del Vecchio New York Times bestselling author of The 13th Valley

The Rough Guide to Vietnam is the essential guide with clear maps and detailed coverage of one of Southeast Asia's most enticing destinations. Using expert advice explore the best attractions of Ho Chi Minh City, roam the best Vietnamese markets, shopping, temples, national parks and then slow the pace down with a trip to the paddyfields of the Red River Delta. From the rugged mountains to the west to the South China sea to the east the Rough Guide steers you in the right direction to find the best hotels in Vietnam, Vietnam restaurants, stylish Vietnamese bars, caf�s, clubs and shops across every price range, giving you clear, balanced reviews and honest, first-hand opinions. This guide covers the unspoilt islands, pristine beaches and trekking opportunities that have long made Vietnam a travel hotspot, from magical Ha Long Bay to the hill-tribes of the mountainous north. Explore all corners of Vietnam with authoritative background on everything from Vietnam's ethnic minorities to Hanoi's impressive colonial architecture, relying on the clearest maps of any guide and practical language tips. Make the most of your holiday with The Rough Guide to Vietnam