Dieu Bao

Firstly, apologies to the author. I thought I had already written the review but, after a long hiatus, I have returned to LibraryThing to find I didn't review it. I normally don't like to read books about war but the advert for this one grabbed me. I am very interested in relationships between people, what makes people tick and how they behave in difficult and traumatic circumstances. So, from this perspective, I found Bao's story interesting, although I agree with other reviewers that it seemed a bit light-on in detail at times, especially in regards to her self-awareness. I was left unsure whether she learned much from her experiences and changed as a result or if she continued to suffer a post-traumatic-syndrome existence and unable to integrate any of her experiences. i suspect it was the writing of the book which acted as a catharsis for her - Indeed I hope so.
Overall it was an interesting read and a good reminder of some of the difficulties faced by women in domestic violence situations - all the more horrid if one also finds oneself in the midst of a raging war.… (més)