Showing posts with label Vietnam. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Vietnam. Show all posts

Tuesday, January 26, 2021

Book Review - The Red Lotus by Chris Bohjalian


When Alexis met her boyfriend, Austin, it was on a Saturday night. They didn't meet at a bar but, in an emergency room where Alexis treated a bullet wound in Austin's arm. Six months later, the pair decided to travel to Vietnam on a bike tour. Alexis feels that Austin might be the one and decides to accompany Austin to Vietnam. Austin wanted to pay his respects to the place where his father and uncle fought in the war. 

Alexis is back at their hotel room waiting for him to return from his solo ride. She becomes worried as the night progresses and she hears nothing from Austin. The police arrive to the hotel and tells Alexis that Austin has disappeared. The only thing they have found is a yellow energy gel pack that he dropped on the side of the road. As Alexis tries to deal with her loss, she faces new uncertainties while dealing with the FBI, Austin's parents, and his colleagues at work. She uncovers a strange series of seemingly benign lies that forces her to wonder if she even knew Austin at all.

I usually read books during my lunch break and I found this book to be quite disgusting and off putting. One of the characters was obsessed with rats and went into too much detail than I felt was necessary. I found the plot to be boring, slow moving, and predictable while, the characters to be very dull. This was my first book by the author and probably the last.