Headmaster's Wager

No cover

Vincent Lam: Headmaster's Wager (2013, Crown/Archetype)

English language

Published Nov. 10, 2013 by Crown/Archetype.

ISBN:
978-0-307-98648-1
Copied ISBN!

View on OpenLibrary

Enjoying his position as the headmaster of Saigon's best English school while indulging in a gambling and womanizing lifestyle, Percival Chen becomes aware of the local violence when his son lands in trouble with the authorities.

7 editions

Review of "The headmaster's wager" on 'Goodreads'

I gave this book four stars, not because it's not well-written (it is), and not because the story wasn't engaging and the characters weren't compelling and believable. They were.

It got four stars only because I did not like some of the graphic descriptions of torture and the resultant injuries. I usually steer clear of graphic violence when I read for enjoyment. (I read some horrifying non-fiction for work, sometimes, though.) I read this novel because I was so impressed by this author's previous book, although that, too, was an aberration from my typical reading material.

Lam is a great author, and his protagonist, the headmaster, is a completely infuriating, exasperating and yet sympathetic character. I was rooting for him although I also wanted to shake him.

So, I'd recommend this book to anyone who isn't particularly squeamish.

Subjects

  • Fiction, historical, general
  • Fathers and sons, fiction
  • Vietnam war, 1961-1975, fiction
  • Vietnam, fiction