Naval Institute Press just sent me the text to be used on the book jacket for Last of the Annamese when it’s published next March. Here’s what will go on the front flap:
LAST OF THE ANNAMESE
By Tom Glenn
A novel that transcends the boundaries of “war fiction,” Tom Glenn’s Last of the Annamese is a book that examines the choices forced upon those who fight wars, those who flee them, and those who survive them.
The rare novel that eloquently describes the burden of loss, Last of the Annamese brings to life the haunting story of those who found themselves trapped in Saigon in April 1975 as the city, and surrounding country, fell to North Vietnamese forces. Drawing on his own experiences in the war, Tom Glenn tells the tale of Chuck Griffin, a retired Marine doing intelligence work for the United States in Vietnam; his friend Thanh, an incorruptible South Vietnamese Marine colonel; and Tuyet, the regal woman whom both men love. Chuck, mourning the loss of his own son in the war, finds himself becoming entangled with his old South Vietnamese ally’s wife. The affair will have ramifications not only for the clandestine lovers, but for Tuyet’s family as well.
As the grim fate of South Vietnam becomes more apparent and the flight from Saigon begins, Tuyet must make a somber choice to determine the fate of her son Thu, herself, and those she loves. This personal drama plays out as the forces of history conspire to rip apart not only Chuck and Tuyet, but also Tuyet and Thanh’s family. Last of the Annamese succeeds at presenting intimate looks at the individuals swept up in a maelstrom of conflict and chaos.
Set against the backdrop of the fall of Saigon as the North Vietnamese overwhelm the South, Tom Glenn paints a vivid portrait of the high drama surrounding the end of a war, end of a city, and end of a people. Reaching its harrowing conclusion during the real Operation Frequent Wind, a refugee rescue effort approved by President Gerald Ford, Last of the Annamese offers a depiction of a handful of people caught in an epic conflagration that was one of modern history’s darkest chapters.
Tom Glenn, Writer 