The Migrant Rain Falls in Reverse by Vinh Nguyen
Decades later, Nguyen goes looking for answers. What he discovers is a sea of questions drifting above sunken truths. To find his father—and anchor himself in the present — Nguyen must piece together the debris of history with family stories that have been scattered across generations and continents, kept for years in broken hearts and guarded silences.
As the fiftieth anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War approaches, The Migrant Rain Falls in Reverse takes readers on a poignant tour of disappeared refugee camps, abandoned family homes, and reimagined lives.
Part fractured reminiscence, part invented history, and part fictional fabulation, Nguyen's story is about learning to live with what's already lost and the memories of what might have been. (From HarperCollins Publishers)
Vinh Nguyen is a Toronto writer and educator whose work has appeared in Brick, Literary Hub, The Malahat Review, PRISM international, Grain, Queen's Quarterly, The Criterion Collection's Current, and MUBI's Notebook. He is a nonfiction editor at The New Quarterly, where he curates an ongoing series on refugee, migrant, and diasporic writing. His writing has been short-isted for a National Magazine Award and has received the John Charles Polanyi Prize in Literature. In 2022, he was a Lambda Literary Fellow in Nonfiction for emerging LGBTQ writers.
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Winnipeg Free Press
04-08-2025
- Winnipeg Free Press
Book Review: A sudden blizzard strands a detective and murder suspects in a hunting lodge
In 1965, as the Vietnam War escalates, a small group of wealthy, powerful men gather at a Vermont lodge to drink and hunt deer. Shortly after they arrive, one of their number, William Moulton, a supporter of the war and a former ambassador to West Germany, is found dead in the woods. State Trooper Franklin Warren, first introduced by author Sarah Stewart Taylor in 'Agony Hill,' (2024) is dispatched to investigate when 'Hunter's Heart Ridge' opens. The surviving members of the group speculate that Moulton died in a hunting accident or, perhaps, killed himself; but Warren promptly determines the man was murdered in a most unusual way. He was stabbed through the heart, and then someone fired a rifle shot through the stab wound as if trying to conceal the cause of death. The group, like the rest of the nation, had been hotly debating the wisdom and morality of the war. However, it soon becomes evident that most of them had a variety of additional reasons to dislike Moulton. As Warren proceeds with his investigation, it becomes evident that nearly everyone is lying to him about one thing or another, although it is not clear whether what each of them has to hide is related to the murder. Then a sudden, early season blizzard strikes, bringing down the telephone lines and stranding Warren with a house full of suspects, including members of the lodge service staff. 'It's like a movie, isn't it,' says one of the kitchen help. 'Or an Agatha Christie novel.' Yes, except that the story's pace sometimes drags. A subplot involving Franklin's friends Alice and Sylvie builds on characters who played a role in 'Agony Hill,' but it adds little to the main story and will be lost on those who have not read the previous novel. Weekly A weekly look at what's happening in Winnipeg's arts and entertainment scene. Nevertheless, the main plot is clever and suspenseful, and as usual in Taylor's novels (this is her tenth), the settings are vividly drawn and the characters — especially an excitable teenage girl named Jenny — are quirky and memorable. ___ Bruce DeSilva, winner of the Mystery Writers of America's Edgar Award, is the author of the Mulligan crime novels including 'The Dread Line.' ___ AP book reviews:
Winnipeg Free Press
22-07-2025
- Winnipeg Free Press
Ozzy Osbourne, godfather of heavy metal who led Black Sabbath, dies at 76
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Both albums were voted among the top 10 greatest heavy metal albums of all time by readers of Rolling Stone magazine. 'Black Sabbath are the Beatles of heavy metal. Anybody who's serious about metal will tell you it all comes down to Sabbath,' Dave Navarro of the band Jane's Addiction wrote in a 2010 tribute in Rolling Stone. Sabbath fired Osbourne in 1979 for his legendary excesses, like showing up late for rehearsals and missing gigs. He reemerged the next year as a solo artist with 'Blizzard of Ozz' and the following year's 'Diary of a Madman,' both hard rock classics that went multi-platinum and spawned enduring favorites such as 'Crazy Train,' 'Goodbye to Romance,' 'Flying High Again' and 'You Can't Kill Rock and Roll.' Osbourne was twice inducted to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame — once with Sabbath in 2006 and again in 2024 as a solo artist. The original Sabbath lineup reunited for the first time in 20 years in July 2025 in the U.K. for what Osbourne said was his final concert. 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Toronto Sun
22-07-2025
- Toronto Sun
Ozzy Osbourne, who led Black Sabbath to became the godfather of heavy metal, dies at 76
Ozzy Osbourne, who led Black Sabbath to became the godfather of heavy metal, dies at 76 Ozzy Osbourne, the gloomy, demon-invoking lead singer of the pioneering band Black Sabbath who became the throaty, growling voice — and drug-and-alcohol ravaged id — of heavy metal, died Tuesday, just weeks after his farewell show. He was 76. Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. 'It is with more sadness than mere words can convey that we have to report that our beloved Ozzy Osbourne has passed away this morning. He was with his family and surrounded by love. We ask everyone to respect our family privacy at this time,' a family statement said. In 2020, he revealed he had Parkinson's disease after suffering a fall. Ozzy Osbourne, who led Black Sabbath to became the godfather of heavy metal, dies at 76 Black Sabbath's 1969 self-titled debut LP has been likened to the Big Bang of heavy metal. It came during the height of the Vietnam War and crashed the hippie party, dripping menace and foreboding. The cover of the record was of a spooky figure against a stark landscape. The music was loud, dense and angry, and marked a shift in Rock 'n' Roll. Either clad in black or bare-chested, the singer was often the target of parents' groups for his imagery and once caused an uproar for biting the head off a bat. Later, he would reveal himself to be a doddering and sweet father on the reality TV show, The Osbournes. Please try again The next issue of Your Midday Sun will soon be in your inbox. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content The band's second album, Paranoid, included such classic metal tunes as War Pigs, Iron Man and Fairies Wear Boots. The song Paranoid only reached No. 61 on the Billboard Hot 100 but became in many ways the band's signature song. Both albums were voted among the top 10 greatest heavy metal albums of all time by readers of Rolling Stone magazine. 'Black Sabbath are the Beatles of heavy metal. Anybody who's serious about metal will tell you it all comes down to Sabbath,' Dave Navarro, of the band, Jane's Addiction, wrote in a 2010 tribute in Rolling Stone. 'There's a direct line you can draw back from today's metal, through Eighties bands like Iron Maiden, back to Sabbath.' Recommended video tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Play Video Sabbath fired Osbourne in 1979 for his legendary excesses, like showing up late for rehearsals and missing gigs. 'We knew we didn't really have a choice but to sack him because he was just so out of control. But we were all very down about the situation,' wrote bassist Terry 'Geezer' Butler in his memoir, Into the Void. Osbourne reemerged the next year as a solo artist with Blizzard of Ozz and the following year's Diary of a Madman, both hard rock classics that went multi-platinum and spawned enduring favorites such as Crazy Train, Goodbye to Romance, Flying High Again and You Can't Kill Rock and Roll. Osbourne was twice inducted to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame — once with Sabbath in 2006 and again in 2024 as a solo artist.
