Publisher's Synopsis
Traumatized by memories of his war-ravaged country, and with his son and daughter-in-law dead, Monsieur Linh travels to a foreign land to bring the young child in his arms to safety. The other refugees in the detention center are unsure how to help the old man. His caseworkers are compassionate, but overworked. And so, Monsieur Linh struggles beneath the weight of his sorrow, becoming increasingly bewildered by the unfamiliar, modern city in which he finds himself.
Eventually, Monsieur Linh encounters Monsieur Bark. And though they do not speak each other’s language, Monsieur Bark—recently a widower and equally alone—is sympathetic to the refugee’s need to care for the child, and eager to talk. Monsieur Linh is just as eager to listen. Between them is born an unlikely friendship in which two separate cultures truly connect.
Monsieur Linh and His Child is a remarkable novel with an extraordinary twist and an illuminating portrait of the redemptive power of friendship.
