Customer Reviews

Fatal Crossroads: A Novel of Vietnam 1945

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If you like your history and politics with a dash excitement and adventure, "with a human face", read this book. If you are at all interested in why the Vietnam War did not have to happen, and in how the simple ignorance (or indifference) of policymakers can have hugely catastrophic consequences down the line -- read this book.
The point is so relevant it hurts.

On a long flight out to Asia I had the perfect opportunity to settle down with a good book: Fatal Crossroads. Actually, "good" is a wholly inadequate word in this case. This was the archetypal "riveting-read" so I cursed inconvenient flight connection times and the occasional need to sleep.

Seymour Topping's book was both an education and an entertainment. Given his illustrious journalistic background, including as former Managing Editor of the New York Times, my "expectation bar" was already high; but isn't it a delight when reality exceeds expectation?

On a stylistic note, I constantly marvelled at how Seymour Topping managed to paint such vivid pictures while maintaining an economy of words - a skill honed, presumably, by the requirements of his craft over many years. It irritates me when authors take an obvious "time out" from a narrative because they feel compelled by convention to provide copious descriptive detailing. In this case, I would often get to the end of a passage and think: "Wow - I just learnt so much about that character (or situation) within such an efficient word-count!" I suppose this must be one of the best ways to ensure a novel keeps you as a willing captive, but it's not a skill that is easily taught.

The poignancy of Travis Duncan's evolving relationships with two of the leading female characters - Mai and Suzanne - achieved one the greatest things a novel can do: within a short time, I cared about these pivotal characters. And, like Duncan, I found myself switching the emphasis of my sympathy and allegiance for these two women. On balance, my deepest affection remained with Mai until the end because she provided my favourite dialogue at Page 150 when Duncan was trying to elicit whether she was in love with him:

Mai closed her eyes for a moment. "My heart is full of love for you," she whispered. "You have been so kind to me. You're doing so much for my people." She hesitated. "That afternoon, when we spoke at the riverbank before you left for the border, you were so sad. I wanted you to be happy. I wanted to give you a gift." She regarded Duncan sorrowfully. "I had nothing to give you except myself."

I still get goose-bumps when I re-read that passage. Like so much of the relationship dialogue, it was beautifully observed ... as was the way in which the author gradually shifted Mai's age and appearance to become less obviously attractive.

There were three big surprises for me: 1) Ho Chi Minh was portrayed in a way that has now positively revised my historical perspective of the man; 2) until the penultimate page of the novel, I had not suspected the surprise that awaits the reader; 3) despite obviously knowing from Page 1 that the "fatal turning" would be taken at the crossroads of history, as the novel reached its climax I found myself hoping-beyond-hope that Duncan would succeed in his quest and that history would be re-written ... a ludicrous and illogical expectation, of course, but the best illustration as to how deeply Fatal Crossroads engaged me. The last time I can remember that happening was with the movie, Titanic. We all knew the damned ship was going to sink, but we still managed to be kept in suspense for three hours. Seymour Topping's excellent book had the same effect - it too would make a stunning movie in the right directorial hands. Someone needs to get working on a screenplay!

I left religious life in 1968 (TET offensive) to teach in a high school. The students demanded to know my opinions concerning the VietNam War and I was ashamed to defer answering until I could learn more about its origins as I had been a Trappist.
I tried to do research but nothing explained the principles upon which the war was being fought except the "Domino Theory". In 1978, I showed my class the video "Viet Nam" by Stanley Karnow on PBS. From it I learned of the WW II cooperation between US forces and Ho Chi Minh's independence movement, the Vietminh, and of the USA's tacit understanding that we would support Viet Nam's extricating itself from the French colonial Empire.
Archimedes Patti, the OSS officer in charge of the "Deer Team" eventually wrote a book, "Why Viet Nam?" and after being suppressed by our government for decades, was finally allowed to publish it in 1980.
In it, the complete story of how the U.S. reversed its policy in order to get France back up on its economic feet, climaxed when OSS Officer and hero, Lt.Col. A.Peter Dewey protested to Washington that: "Cochinchina is burning, the French and the British are finished here, and we (the Americans) ought to clear out of Southeast Asia"[sent Sept. 24, 1945). On Sept. 26, Peter Dewey was shot to death at a mysterious ambush as he was being hustled out of Viet Nam in accord with the orders of British Major General Douglas gracey, a supporter of French retaking of the colony.
This change in US policy resulted in the nine year French-Indochinese War, supported largely with American weapons and money; and followed by the "growth" of U.S. direct involvement lasting until 1974 with 58,000 U.S. soldiers killed, hundreds of thousands wounded and millions of VietNamese killed/wounded. The failur to address this genesis caused me and many to never fully understand WHY the Vietnam War was an immoral war. Millions of innocent and heroic people suffered and died to perpetuate an initial and fatal mistake in foreign policy.
There is no doubt that the U.S. has repeated with an eerily similar "mistake" in its pre-emptive war in Iraq. Both stories need to be told and learned, but not from a work of fictionalized history such as "Fatal Crossroads". Seymore Topping is qualified to tell the real story without embellishing it with a romance and the use of pseudonyms.

'Fatal Crossroads: A Novel of Vietnam 1945' is a remarkable and unexpected change in two ways. The first difference is getting all the attention from the critics like Walter Cronkite, Neil Sheehan, Henry F. Graff and A.J. Langguth.

But, second, this latest work is the most accessible and thickly plotted novel to date, and--in spite of the forceful political theme--it is also perhaps his mellowest work of fiction.

In a year when most veteran masters have come up with mediocre offerings, Seymour Topping's has provided us with his finest work yet.

Sometimes the best way for a journalist to tell the whole story is to fictionalize it. This is decidedly the case in Seymour Topping's novel, Fatal Crossroads. This book is a brief but vivid read, with meticulously researched military history (World War II and Vietnam)in the palatable form of thriller-cum-quality fiction. The author's field experience as a reporter in Indochina makes his writing redolent of a different time and place -- as well as a more innocent moment in US history. Mr. Topping captures the elusive flavor of Southeast Asia better than anyone I know, and his depictions of the twisted dynamics of guerrilla war ring true on every page. (The subtitle could be "Great Powers Behaving Badly.") Anyone who wonders how the US got dragged into the Vietnam War will find useful answers here, as well as sobering insights into the present.

I found this book to be a great presentation of history, including real participants. Mr. Topping's ability to bring to life a time which was complex, convoluted, and difficult continually amazes me. He makes as clear as any history of the period, the errors and misunderstandings that occured in all quarters, not just on the part of the United States. Although the decision-making of the Truman Administration was the most important to Americans, it was also the most unfortunate and as Mr. Topping describes it, the most sad.

I found this work to be an excellent read; informative, entertaining and exciting.

I highly recommend it to anyone wishing to gain an understanding of the early decisions which ultimately brought this country into the Vietnamese conflict. And, enjoy a good book at the same time.

As a fan and student of Seymour Topping all through my long journalistic career, I always look forward to reading whatever he writes. And he always writes splendidly: His earlier books, "Journey between Two Chinas," and "The Peking Letter," were an absolute delight, and little wonder that they received much critical acclaim. His new novel, "Fatal Crossroads: A Novel of Vietnam 1945," is certain to do well. Topping always displays a great journalist's keen historical perspective, an eye for telling detail, and a marvelously fluid writing style. For his legions of fans, and for the general reader, what a lovely gift for the New Year!