This is one of the most detailed reviews of my new novel, The Reach of the Banyan Tree, written by blogger Maniparna. This will give you an excellent idea of what the novel is about, and a thorough look at my writing style. I’ve included the first couple paragraphs below, but please head over to her website and read the rest.
The Vietnam war still works as an inspiration for novelists . On my first glance to Mark W. Sasse’s historical fiction/contemporary romance novel The Reach of the Banyan Tree , I took it as another war story. But with the turning of every page my heart leaped up with new wonders , it’s not only a book about war , it’s a narration of life , of love , of friendship and destiny.
I reviewed Sasse’s previous publication The Recluse Storyteller and was bowled over by his unique narrative style which reminded me of the ‘stream of consciousness’ style. This time he clearly avoided that and rather has followed the classical method of story-telling .
The story covers a span of almost seventy years , starting from the World War II and ending in 2014 , not at a stretch though. Charles Regal Carson III , the son of American billionaire Charles Regal Carson II , owner of Carson Oil , arrives in Vietnam as he wants to live his own life , away from the grandiose of his father. He meets Thuy, a Vietnamese girl and both of them are head over heels for each other. While visiting a historical site , Phuong Hoang Cave in North Vietnam , Chip suddenly discovers his grandfather’s name ,Charles Regal Carson , etched on the stone wall connected by a heart sign with another name , Mai. The mention of the” The Flying Dutchman” phrase after the name makes him sure of his ancestral connection. A plethora of thoughts ransack his minds as he tries to connect the loose end that is related with the name Mai , of whom he knows nothing.
Author Mark W Sasse 