Lost Men by Brian Leung

Looking to settle into autumn with a good book in hand? You can’t go wrong with Lost Men, the debut novel from University of Louisville professor Brian Leung. The book has received favorable reviews and underscores Leung’s place among the best literary talent in Louisville.

Lost Men is a story of cultural identity, belonging, and the catharsis of self-discovery. Westen is a young man struggling with his identity and relationship with his Chinese father, who abandoned him after his mother’s untimely death. Raised by relatives, Westen struggled with being left behind — by his mother, father, friends and lovers. So when his father unexpectedly invites him on a long-promised trip to China — a trip where father and son may reconcile and heal old wounds —Westen accepts the chance for reunion with understandable reservation.

What unfolds is a deepening saga of mysteries revealed. As the pair move uncomfortably among China’s noisy streets, crowded markets, and overgrown gardens, the reader discovers why each of these men are lost in their own way. Old emotional wounds and ghosts of the past rise to the surface — the escape of Westen’s father from the communists, the death of Westen’s mother (and the unopened letter she left behind), Westen’s difficulty with his cultural, personal, and sexual identities, and the secret his father has long suppressed. These realizations remove the mask from each character in measured steps until the two men finally realize that to look at themselves they must look at each other.

Leung’s characters are compelling, if not always loveable. Westen is often stubborn and brooding, while his father can be distant and cold. But Leung paints them richly and treats China, a character itself, with a similar level of detail — a complex world caught between capitalism and communism and haunted by its imperial past. This land of contradiction and suppression is a fitting backdrop for the emotional discovery that Leung explores.

Leung’s prose is colorful and easily digested, and accessible chapter lengths make this an easy book to pick up and put down as time allows. Lost Men is a solid choice for any reader and should not be missed by those embarking on their own self-discovery, reconnecting with lost loved ones, or exploring difficult emotional bonds between parents and children.

 By Michael Alderson

Check out your local bookstores or www.amazon.com