{"product_id":"the-italy-letters-9781685891305","title":"The Italy Letters","description":"\u003cb\u003e\"Vi Khi Nao's fictional language is full of magical slippages ... an esoteric sadness seeps up through surface deadpan and pizzazz.\" --Jonathan Lethem \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eA mesmerizing epistolary tale of a sensual queer love affair set against the backdrop of Las Vegas' gritty underbelly. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Italy Letters\u003c\/i\u003e is a slim, powerful shot of literary fantasia from one of America's best-kept secrets. Long an underground favorite, visionary writer Vi Khi Nao weaves an unforgettable and highly distinctive story of a love affair suffused with longing, erotic passion, and heartbreak--all while painting a picture of the gritty underside of Las Vegas. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThis beautiful and mesmerizing novel by a queer Vietnamese American writer is a brilliant and unclassifiable work of fiction that takes the form of a series of letters written by the unnamed narrator to her lover in Italy ... part of a stream-of-consciousness narrative that is by turns poignant, bawdy, funny, and disturbing--and often beautifully poetic. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAlong the way, the story touches on the immigrant experience, LGBTQIA identity, social class, writing, betrayal, sex, and homesickness. The result is an authentically distinctive piece of writing from a writer on the cusp of wide acclaim.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Melville House Publishing\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 08\/13\/2024\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781685891305\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 192\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.81lbs","brand":"VI Khi Nao","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44315129970869,"sku":"9781685891305","price":16.14,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0473\/0804\/6492\/files\/img_97310ca6-c6a9-4ce7-8d48-6e89645c17d0.jpg?v=1718720337","url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/the-italy-letters-9781685891305","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}