Thuận: Elevator in Sài Gòn

Elevator in Sài Gòn is an investigative novel written in Vietnamese by Đoan Ánh Thuận and translated into English by Nguyễn An Lý. For most books, I prefer reading the original language over the translation, especially in Vietnamese. Since I don’t have access to the original book and a friend had vouched for Ms. Nguyễn’s translating skills, I gave Elevator in Sài Gòn a read. Because this book is a deceive fiction, I don’t want to give away the plot.

Indeed, Ms. Nguyễn is an excellent translator. Here’s an example: “The saying goes, a seventeen year old can break a buffalo’s horn, but in his experience a nineteen year old can’t bear much, neither physically nor mentally, especially when already suffering from a fatal obsession.” Yes, trai mười bảy bẻ gãy sừng trâu indeed.

Apparently, Ms. Thuận is a well-known Vietnamese novelist and yet she was unknown to me until now. I got a kick out of the sex scene, especially this line: “He even, once, asked to see my vulva, and he looked at it with such fascination, parting hairs strand by strand, the way a curious child goes exploring.” I am wanting to read the Vietnamese version.