Build Your House Around My Body : LONGLISTED FOR THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION 2022

Part puzzle, part revenge tale, part ghost story, this ingenious novel spins half a century of Vietnamese history and folklore into “a thrilling read, acrobatic and filled with verve” (The New York Times)."Fiction as daring and accomplished as Violet Kupersmith's first novel reignites my love of the form and its kaleidoscopic possibilities." - David Mitchell, author of Cloud Atlas1986: The teenage daughter of a wealthy Vietnamese family gets lost in an abandoned rubber plantation while fleeing her angry father, and is forever changed by the experience. 2011: Twenty-five years later, a young, unhappy Vietnamese American disappears from her new home in Saigon without a trace. Two young Vietnamese women go missing decades apart. Both are fearless, both are lost. And both will have their revenge. The fates of both women are inescapably linked, bound together by past generations, ghosts and ancestors, by the history of possessed bodies and possessed lands. "... a beautifully wrought, non-linear tale of ghosts, missing girls, and revenge set against the backdrop of colonial and post-colonial Vietnam... the real stroke of genius, and why I found myself falling in love with Build Your House Around My Body, is that Kupersmith’s subtle skill of drawing our focus away from Winnie’s inevitable fate also matches Winnie’s desire to fade into the scenery... such a fantastic book." - Ian Mond, LocusSpanning more than fifty years of Vietnamese history and barreling toward an unforgettable conclusion, Violet Kupersmith's time-travelling, heart-pounding, border-crossing fever dream of a novel will haunt you long after the last page. An immersive, playful, utterly unforgettable debut. Part puzzle, part revenge tale, part ghost story, this ingenious novel spins half a century of Vietnamese history and folklore into “a thrilling read, acrobatic and filled with verve” ( The New York Times Editors’ Choice). FINALIST FOR THE CENTER FOR FICTION’S FIRST NOVEL PRIZE • LONGLISTED FOR THE WOMEN’S PRIZE FOR FICTION • ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: The New York Times Book Review, NPR, Good Housekeeping, Kirkus Reviews “Fiction as daring and accomplished as Violet Kupersmith’s first novel reignites my love of the form and its kaleidoscopic possibilities.”—David Mitchell, author of Cloud Atlas Two young women go missing decades apart. Both are fearless, both are lost. And both will have their revenge. 1986 : The teenage daughter of a wealthy Vietnamese family loses her way in an abandoned rubber plantation while fleeing her angry father and is forever changed. 2011 : A young, unhappy Vietnamese American woman disappears from her new home in Saigon without a trace. The fates of these two women are inescapably linked, bound together by past generations, by ghosts and ancestors, by the history of possessed bodies and possessed lands. Alongside them, we meet a young boy who is sent to a boarding school for the métis children of French expatriates, just before Vietnam declares its independence from colonial rule; two Frenchmen who are trying to start a business with the Vietnam War on the horizon; and the employees of the Saigon Spirit Eradication Co., who find themselves investigating strange occurrences in a farmhouse on the edge of a forest. Each new character and timeline brings us one step closer to understanding what binds them all. Build Your House Around My Body takes us from colonial mansions to ramshackle zoos, from sweaty nightclubs to the jostling seats of motorbikes, from ex-pat flats to sizzling back-alley street carts. Spanning more than fifty years of Vietnamese history and barreling toward an unforgettable conclusion, this is a time-traveling, heart-pounding, border-crossing fever dream of a novel that will haunt you long after the last page. Part puzzle, part revenge tale, part ghost story, this kaleidoscopic novel spins half a century of Vietnamese history and folklore into a "brilliant, sweeping epic that swaps spirits and sheds time like snakeskin" (Paul Tremblay, author of A Head Full of Ghosts and Survivor Song). Two young women go missing decades apart. Both are fearless, both are lost. And both will have their revenge. 1986 : The teenage daughter of a wealthy Vietnamese family loses her way in an abandoned rubber plantation while fleeing her angry father and is forever changed.? 2011 : A young, unhappy Vietnamese American woman disappears from her new home in Saigon without a trace.? The fates of these two women are inescapably linked, bound together by past generations, by ghosts and ancestors, by the history of possessed bodies and possessed lands. Alongside them, we meet a young boy who is sent to a boarding school for the m?tis children of French expatriates, just before Vietnam declares its independence from colonial rule; two Frenchmen who are trying to start a business with the Vietnam War on the horizon; and the employees of the Saigon Spirit Eradication Co., who find themselves investigating strange occurrences in a farmhouse on the edge of a forest. Each new character and timeline brings us one step closer to understanding what binds them all.? Build Your House Around My Body takes us from colonial mansions to ramshackle zoos, from sweaty nightclubs to the jostling seats of motorbikes, from ex-pat flats to sizzling back-alley street carts. Spanning more than fifty?years of Vietnamese history and barreling toward an unforgettable conclusion, this is a time-traveling, heart-pounding, border-crossing fever dream of a novel that will haunt you long after the last page "In 1986, the teenage daughter of a wealthy family gets lost in an abandoned rubber plantation while fleeing her angry father and is forever changed by the experience. In 2009, pressed into a dangerous scheme by a former lover, a woman captures a rare two-headed cobra. And in 2011, a young, unhappy American living in Saigon with her sort-of boyfriend, disappears without a trace. Over the course of the novel, the fates of these three women will lock together in an exhilarating series of nested narratives. Along the way, we meet a young boy sent to a boarding school in the mountains for the métis children of French expatriates just before Vietnam declares its independence from colonial rule in 1945; two Frenchmen trying to start a business with the Vietnam War on the horizon; and the employees of the Saigon Spirit Eradication Co., called to investigate strange occurrences in a farmhouse on the edge of a forest. Each new character and timeline brings us one step closer to understanding what binds the three women together, and what happened to Winnie. Written with wit, ambition, and playfulness, this book takes us from sweaty nightclubs to ramshackle zoos, colonial mansions to ex-pat flats, sizzling back-alley street carts to the noisy seats of motorbikes. Spanning over fifty years and barreling toward an unforgettable conclusion, this is a fever dream about possessed bodies and possessed lands, a time-traveling, heart-pounding, border-crossing marvel of a novel"-- Provided by publisher 'Fantastic' The Sunday Times * 'Beautiful, brilliant, powerful' Madeline Miller, bestselling author of Circe Part ghost story, part searing exploration of Vietnam's colonial past, Violet Kupersmith's debut novel is a must read for fans of Cecile Pin, NoViolet Bulowayo or Ruth Ozeki Two young Vietnamese women go missing decades apart. Both are fearless, both are lost. And both will have their revenge. 1986 : The teenage daughter of a wealthy Vietnamese family gets lost in an abandoned rubber plantation while fleeing her angry father, and is forever changed by the experience. 2011 : Twenty-five years later, a young, unhappy Vietnamese-American disappears from her new home in Saigon without a trace. The fates of both women are inescapably linked, bound together by past generations, by ghosts and ancestors, by the history of possessed bodies and possessed lands. Violet Kupersmith's heart-pounding fever dream of a novel hurtles through the ghostly secrets of Vietnamese history to create an immersive, playful, utterly unforgettable debut. 'Fiction as daring and accomplished as Violet Kupersmith's first novel reignites my love of the form and its kaleidoscopic possibilities' David Mitchell, author of Cloud Atlas 'gorgeous, Completely Original, And Quite Disturbing, Usually All Three At The Same Time. Beware! This Book Might Swallow You Up.' Karen Joy Fowler, Bestselling Author Of We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves Two Young Vietnamese Women Go Missing Decades Apart. Both Are Fearless, Both Are Lost. And Both Will Have Their Revenge. 1986: The Teenage Daughter Of A Wealthy Vietnamese Family Gets Lost In An Abandoned Rubber Plantation While Fleeing Her Angry Father, And Is Forever Changed By The Experience. 2011: Twenty-five Years Later, A Young, Unhappy Vietnamese-american Named Winnie Disappears From Her New Home In Saigon Without A Trace. The Fates Of Both Women Are Inescapably Linked, Bound Together By Past Generations, By Ghosts And Ancestors, By The History Of Possessed Bodies And Possessed Lands. Barrelling Through The Sweaty Nightclubs Of Saigon To Ramshackle Zoos, Colonial Mansions And Haunted Forests, Violet Kupersmith's Heart-pounding Fever Dream Of A Novel Deftly Combines Vietnamese History And Folklore To Create An Immersive, Playful, Utterly Unforgettable Debut. Feverishly energetic and playfully creepy, an unforgettable debut that hurtles through the ghostly secrets of Vietnamese history