This is really an amazing story. When I read part one, I imagined it looking as lush as a Wong Kar-Wai movie in my head. But now, when I read part two, I imagined everything like something out of a Nicolas Winding Refn film - like "Only God Forgives." And I certinaly didn't see that scene with the handcuffs coming - wow. That was intense.
Delicious immersive read Brock. The story is so haunting and surreal. Interesting that you and Sandolore (and me) have all written about memory and identity and the psychologically unsettling things that can happen when you slip into that 'other' place. Beautiful imagery in you piece here. Thank you for writing.
A delicious overlap of themes indeed. I hope that readers eventually will read our pieces in conjunction. They're almost key to understanding each of the texts as a stand-alone too.
So good: "Outside, the river dragged itself south, the jungle swallowed the dead, and the neon burned through the dark." It's all this good.
I am late to the party because I got lost. I went to Null Point, got involved in "Not Friday" and "Question Without An Answer", before finding my way to "A Face in the Glass." Most importantly, the longer trip was worth it.
Thank you so much, Nancy. That is one is my favourite passages too - and I hope it's all that good!
The poems surrounding "A Face in the Glass" were released around the same time to deepen meaning as much as I could. Sandolore and I both aimed for hugely ambitious releases. That's always a gamble, but it's "twin peaks" too, so to speak.
I know I worked my very hardest on both parts of this story and I know that readers who conclude the journey with you will all find it a journey well worth taking.
My goal is to continue on this Vietnam project with a trilogy of long short stories/novellas set in different locations in Vietnam: a kidnapping in Hue (the second story), then foreign cult leader in Saigon (as the final work in that book). Throughout, I would intertwine 3-6 related poems for each story :)
The oppressive heat of Vietnam is, for me, an additional and ever-present character in this story. It had me thinking of monsoon season, and how certain climates can give rise to awful (and awe-ful) events. It’s no coincidence that people can act increasingly erratically in hot weather, in challenging weather, in ways they never otherwise would on a grey day in February.
This is a haunting conclusion to the two part story. I can’t make up my mind whether Ambrose was real or whether he was an alter-ego (maybe drug-induced) driving Elliot to do what he did. Either could be true, right?
Whatever the case, I had a feeling Phuong was not destined for a happy end, not for that matter, Elliott. How that was going to play out, remained a mystery.
You must have put a lot of work into this. It’s rich in texture and detail.
Excellent observations about my emphasis on the climate, light, sounds, etc. to make Vietnam as fully fleshed out as possible here. Hanoi is like Gotham City, isn't it?
There is an answer to whether or not Ambrose is real in my mind - but I'll let it sit with you. I prefer when multiple interpretations work at the same time.
And yes - our doomed lovers. It's all about being stuck but in love in a foreign and dangerous place, and how the two unravel Elliot, I suppose.
This is really an amazing story. When I read part one, I imagined it looking as lush as a Wong Kar-Wai movie in my head. But now, when I read part two, I imagined everything like something out of a Nicolas Winding Refn film - like "Only God Forgives." And I certinaly didn't see that scene with the handcuffs coming - wow. That was intense.
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Delicious immersive read Brock. The story is so haunting and surreal. Interesting that you and Sandolore (and me) have all written about memory and identity and the psychologically unsettling things that can happen when you slip into that 'other' place. Beautiful imagery in you piece here. Thank you for writing.
A delicious overlap of themes indeed. I hope that readers eventually will read our pieces in conjunction. They're almost key to understanding each of the texts as a stand-alone too.
So good: "Outside, the river dragged itself south, the jungle swallowed the dead, and the neon burned through the dark." It's all this good.
I am late to the party because I got lost. I went to Null Point, got involved in "Not Friday" and "Question Without An Answer", before finding my way to "A Face in the Glass." Most importantly, the longer trip was worth it.
Thank you so much, Nancy. That is one is my favourite passages too - and I hope it's all that good!
The poems surrounding "A Face in the Glass" were released around the same time to deepen meaning as much as I could. Sandolore and I both aimed for hugely ambitious releases. That's always a gamble, but it's "twin peaks" too, so to speak.
I know I worked my very hardest on both parts of this story and I know that readers who conclude the journey with you will all find it a journey well worth taking.
My goal is to continue on this Vietnam project with a trilogy of long short stories/novellas set in different locations in Vietnam: a kidnapping in Hue (the second story), then foreign cult leader in Saigon (as the final work in that book). Throughout, I would intertwine 3-6 related poems for each story :)
Happy reading!
Brock
The oppressive heat of Vietnam is, for me, an additional and ever-present character in this story. It had me thinking of monsoon season, and how certain climates can give rise to awful (and awe-ful) events. It’s no coincidence that people can act increasingly erratically in hot weather, in challenging weather, in ways they never otherwise would on a grey day in February.
This is a haunting conclusion to the two part story. I can’t make up my mind whether Ambrose was real or whether he was an alter-ego (maybe drug-induced) driving Elliot to do what he did. Either could be true, right?
Whatever the case, I had a feeling Phuong was not destined for a happy end, not for that matter, Elliott. How that was going to play out, remained a mystery.
You must have put a lot of work into this. It’s rich in texture and detail.
Excellent observations about my emphasis on the climate, light, sounds, etc. to make Vietnam as fully fleshed out as possible here. Hanoi is like Gotham City, isn't it?
There is an answer to whether or not Ambrose is real in my mind - but I'll let it sit with you. I prefer when multiple interpretations work at the same time.
And yes - our doomed lovers. It's all about being stuck but in love in a foreign and dangerous place, and how the two unravel Elliot, I suppose.
I'm glad V.2 was an illuminating experience!