Author: Samuel Ferrer
Publisher: Signal 8 Press
Publication Date: September 2016
Pages: 284
Format: eBook -EPUB
Genre: Literary Fiction/Historical
Source: Review Copy from Author
Jacquie Mouhot and Paaku the Lotus-Born are divided by six centuries but linked by a common curse. In medieval Cambodia, Paaku is an orphan whose community believes he may be a reluctant incarnation of a god, causing sectarian turmoil for the kingdom's leaders. Meanwhile, in 1921, Jacquie follows the footsteps of her grandfather, a famous explorer, to Indochina, where she becomes immersed in the tragedy of Paaku's history: a story simultaneously unfolding in the intertwined present and past, a story in which she still has a vital role to play. (Goodreads Synopsis)
I know very little of the history of Cambodia, so The Last Gods of Indochine gripped my interest from the start for that reason alone. As the story progressed, I grew attached to the characters and their travails and, all in all, I found the book a fascinating read. The prose was a little strange at times, with beautiful, atmospheric passages followed by strange, almost nonsensical sentences, but for the most part, it was captivating. The story itself wavered between the realistic and the fantastical, which worked well in a tale linked to ideas of malaria-fevered dreams. This is certainly a book to check out if you are a fan of dual timeline narratives that blend history with fiction.
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