From the scenes of brutality and inhumanity that haunt the autobiographical piece, "The Coral Reef" which created a sensation when it first appeared in Granta, to the splendidly surreal tide story, which stands as a mini-epic of Vietnamese history, Tran Vu writes unflinchingly of the brutal realities of a country turned upside down by war. However, Vietnam is a place of extreme beauty and Vu's sensuous descriptions of the country's landscape create a startling contrast to the feverish energies that drive his characters. Whether exploring themes of exile and memory, human kindness, or our capacity for cruelty and rage, the stories that make up this astonishing collection continue to haunt long after the last page has been turned.