Fri 4/17 @ 6:30pm
Despite the fact David Joiner was born and raised in Ohio, he was always fascinated with Southeast Asia. In fact, he graduated from Indiana’s Earlham College with a degree in Japanese studies.
With this in mind, it should come as no surprise that Joiner’s first published book Lotusland takes place in Asia. The novel, set in modern day Ho Chi Minh City, revolves around 28-year-old American Nathan Monroe, who falls in love with a Vietnamese painter.
Lotusland dramatizes the power imbalances between Westerners living abroad and between Westerners and the Vietnamese. Also, the book details the consequences of the Vietnam War four decades later.
The Queen City native brings his book tour to Northeast Ohio for a Fri 4/17 reading at Coffee Proper in Lakewood. CoolCleveland talked to Joiner about his fascination with Vietnam, the impetus of Lotusland and the complexities of Vietnam today.
CoolCleveland: What is it about Vietnam and Southeast Asia that drew your attention?
David Joiner: I’ve felt a real affinity for East Asia, Southeast Asia. I took my first trip to Asia my junior year of college and it just sort of triggered something in me. I knew I wanted to spend more time in that part of the world. After college ended, a supervisor suggested at the time that I apply for a volunteer teacher position in Vietnam. It seemed like a really interesting opportunity. I applied and got the job. I fell in love with the culture, the way of life there, the food, the people and the weather. It was so very different from anything I had ever experienced before. It just really grew on me. I’ve been going there back and forth for the last 21 years.
What makes Lotusland unique?
It’s one of the only books written by a U.S. author that is set in contemporary Vietnam. That’s really what I was going for. I didn’t want to focus on the war. There are so many stories about the war that I wanted people to know that the country is not a war. There’s so much more than that. That’s kind of what I set out to do.
In your words, can you explain the book’s narrative?
The book is largely about two expats who move to Vietnam and become good friends. One friend ends up marrying an ex-girlfriend of the other expat and he becomes very successful as a real estate agent, but with that success there’s a lot of pressure to be a father and the president of a company. Also, there are the pressures of being in a foreign country making their life there. The other character is much more sort of in tune with the place, the people and the culture, but he’s finding it’s hard to make a life for himself there. And they end up conflicting over their values, their approach to Vietnam, life overseas and over time they conflict over each other and the women they love.
How does Vietnam as the backdrop color Lotusland?
There’s a lot about the relationships between the two American characters and the Vietnamese characters. There’s a lot of history between the countries and economically people are not necessarily coming to relationships sort of on a par with each other. There are certain dynamics that are very different based on history, based on economics and things like that.
What was the impetus behind Lotusland?
One of the reasons I wanted to write the book was it gave me a chance to write about Agent Orange. That’s something that’s very much in the consciousness of Vietnamese people, and I don’t think most Americans are aware of that. Also, the fact that it continues to effect people’s lives three generations after Agent Orange was first used in the country. I wanted to share that with people as well. It was kind of central when I first started to write the book but it ended up taking a backseat to the love story. That comes up the last third of the book.
Stateside, what kind of misconceptions exist today regarding Vietnam?
I think most people associate Vietnam now with the war. It wasn’t very long ago when I went back to the U.S. and I had very educated people saying are, “Are you afraid with the war going on there?” I’d say, “What are you talking about?” The war ended years ago but that’s kind of the mindset that I think a lot of people have. They feel it’s a lot more dangerous than it actually is.
I think they think it’s a very poor country, but it’s a developing country. It’s developed extraordinarily since I went there in 1994. The per capita income was about $300 a year and it’s now over $2,000 a year. There are people there with quite a bit of money and the infrastructure has vastly improved over the last 20 years. As a place to visit or a place to live, it’s wonderful. People have been slow to realize that as a country, as a culture, it has a lot to offer.
Finally, what do you hope readers take away from Lotusland?
I hope readers come away with a better understanding of what life is like in Vietnam and again to understand the country is so much more than a war that America fought and lost.
The book reading takes place at 6:30 p.m. April 17 at CoffeeProper, 17823 Detroit Ave., Lakewood.
http://coffeeproper.com/events/2015/book-signing-w-novelist-david-joiner
http://www.amazon.com/Lotusland-Essential-Prose-David-Joiner/dp/1550719300
https://goodreads.com/book/show/24311467-lotusland
Freelance writer John Benson spends most of his time writing for various papers throughout Northeast Ohio. When he’s not writing about music or entertainment, he can be found coaching his two boys in basketball, football and baseball or watching movies with his lovely wife, Maria. John also occasionally writes for CoolCleveland.com.
Lakewood, OH 44107
Lakewood, OH 44107
Lakewood, OH 44107
Lakewood, OH 44107
Lakewood, OH 44107
Lakewood, OH 44107
Lakewood, OH 44107
Lakewood, OH 44107
Lakewood, OH 44107
Lakewood, OH 44107
Lakewood, OH 44107
Lakewood, OH 44107
Lakewood, OH 44107
Lakewood, OH 44107
Lakewood, OH 44107
Lakewood, OH 44107
Lakewood, OH 44107
Lakewood, OH 44107
Lakewood, OH 44107
Lakewood, OH 44107
Lakewood, OH 44107