The Midwife of Saigon
The Midwife of Saigon is a historical fiction novel inspired by real people and stories. Spanning 75 years, and told through memories, it follows Anh's life story during Vietnam's most recent tumultuous years and her final, harrowing escape from Vietnam
It is about the sacrifices she makes, the obstacles she faces, her first - impossible - love and her fight for survival.
'These are stories that need to be remembered.'
Canada, 2000
‘There isn’t much time left for me.’ 74 year-old Anh’s memory starts to fade and she needs to tell her story for others to learn from her past, and the mistakes that were made.
Hue, Vietnam 1926
Anh, ‘Little Tiger’ grows up as an aristocratic, idealistic and determined young woman, but when her mother dies, her life irrevocably changes when her stepmother forces her into an arranged marriage and she loses everything she loves: her family and friends, her home, her dream of being a midwife, and her first love, the one that she had no choice but to leave behind. Meanwhile, Vietnam is starting to fight for its independence and entering years of war, which means that Anh has to fight for her own survival.
This is also the story of Vietnam, which over the span of Anh’s life, goes through some of the most tumultuous years in its history: from Colonialism and to Communism and, finally, to peace and prosperity.
The Midwife of Saigon is about what it means to be human: love and loss, sacrifice and duty, survival and resilience, hope and courage, and still finding peace through adversity.
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