A Bend in the River

In this richly drawn tour de force, Libby Hellmann paints an Asian family saga over two continents. Two sisters take different paths, struggle to confront the past, themselves, and each other. Highly recommended.

Cara Black, NY Times Bestselling author of "Three Hours in Paris"

In a brilliant departure from her earlier work, award-winning thriller writer Libby Fischer Hellmann has crafted a stunning piece of historical fiction. A Bend in the River is the story of two Vietnamese sisters torn apart by the war that ravaged their nation. Writing from the perspective of these women whose homeland was so brutally devastated, Hellmann has turned her astute, poetic eye from the hellish battlefields to the details of the daily lives of ordinary people struggling through the morass of a long and bitter conflict. The result is a story that will force us all to look back on the Vietnam War with a different, and I believe kinder, understanding. This is an important novel that deserves a broad audience. Kudos to Hellmann for her courage in striking out in this bold, new direction.

WIlliam Kent Krueger, NY Times Bestselling Author of This Tender Land

Sisters Mai and Tam's very different paths to survival in war-torn Vietnam provide a compelling, page turning story. Hellmann brings history to visceral, tangible life by shining a light on torture from all sides of the conflict and shows the devastating effects on Vietnamese citizens. Questions of morality and justice are subtle in the point of view of each of the sisters who become different, yet equally sympathetic people in a trauma-filled world.

Amy Alessio, BookReporter.com

Gripping...vivid detail... this passionate story of survival has staying power.

Publishers Weekly

Libby Fischer Hellmann is at her best in this novel about Tam and Mai, teenaged sisters from the Mekong Delta, who bravely flee their destroyed village to support themselves in wartime Saigon. This gripping international saga illuminates the complexities of politics and loyalty and love, and is a powerful testament to the strength of women.

Sujata Massey, Author, The Satapur Moonstone

A polished segue into historical fiction...simple but elegant prose... offers nuance and depth to a war we thought we knew but did not entirely understand."

A.E. Feldman, BookTrib