Only the Heart
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Only The Heart is a novel written by Brian Caswell and David Phu An Chiem. In contrast to Caswell's mainly futuristic style, such as his widely acclaimed Deucalion series, this book is written in the present-past style. The book is said to be based on David's life. The book is classified as young adult fiction and is one of the most successful books by the author.[citation needed]
[edit] Plot summary
The main character for this story is a boy named Toan. The book jumps from the past, when Toan is only six years old, to the present, when he is in his teens. The book is mainly written in first person, Toan's and his older cousin's, Linh's point of view.
This book is about the Vietnam war, and the problems and hardships the Vietnamese faced while trying to escape their war stricken country. During the book, Toan and his family escape Vietnam, on a boat. They become part of the first wave of boat people. During the boat trip, Phuong (cousin to Toan) is almost captured by sea pirates, but her mother saves her from sex with him, by offering herself. She is taken away and never seen by her family again. When the family make it to Indonesia, the Indonesian people try to send them back, but they destroy the ship, forcing everyone to go overboard. Toan almost drowns. When they make it to Indonesia, they are on a list waiting to be transferred to another country so they can be safe from the war in Vietnam. After being late for their time to leave, Toans father takes matters into his own hands. They escape from their "home" and chase after the dream for a better life for their family. Ending up in Australia. This novel is filled with hope. It shows the inside of Vietnam, the way people feel about the war and the experiences that were experienced, that caused the Vietnamese people to become stronger. Only the heart is filled with hope, desolation and a dream. A dream for a better future.
[edit] Major themes
This book, in contrast with most of Brian Caswell's other books, has no supernatural or magical incidents in it. Apart from that difference, the writing tone and style of the book is similar to many of his other books. The story jumps from the past to the present, and is written in Caswell's unique style, using various techniques such as diary entries, flashbacks and first person narration
Water is also one of the major themes to convey the wants for the unhindered flow of human experience. While in the 'Long Xuyen Re-education Camp', Minh can remember gazing ``beyond the fences towards the river, which ``gleams like liquid gold in the sunlight. With in the book, boats and the ocean eventually take the Vo family to Malaysia. Also to represents both boundaries and the means with which to cross them. However, it can be dangerous. The rising flood waters kill the two Chinese boys; an uncle and aunt are lost at sea when, in 1979, they ``chase the dangerous dream; Linh's terror of water is born of her experiences in the boat.
The Thai pirate, although a thief and murderer, exhibits slightly more mercy than does Tang, who is land-locked, without a family and thus beyond redemption. When Mai commits suicide, she ``opens herself to the waters, thus, the novel says, in a strongly qualified use of the term, becoming ``free
