Censored and terminated for circulation in Vietnam since its initial release in 2017, Tạ Duy Anh’s novel The Termite Queen, translated by Quan Manh Ha and Charles Waugh, illustrates the friction between Vietnam’s rural communities and government-backed private developers that exploit them under the pretext of reciprocal benefits, modernization, and progress. As the foreword details, the country’s decision to ban the book indicates that the authority was able to spot themselves within the plot.
Việt, the conflicted narrator-protagonist represents this tension as he attempts to redeem his family’s legacy by rewriting their story at the beginning of the novel. His telling is framed by a previous exposé of his father, Mr. Nam, and his misconduct as the face of a manipulative land development company that displaced rural Vietnamese people. In the early pages, Việt inherits his deceased father’s CEO position and battles with his own ethical values while trying to convince a local community that a new golf course project would be for their benefit and not only at the expense of their way of life. While researching past projects, Việt learns that his father was a pawn of “progress” and that someone named Mr. Big was responsible for intimidating tactics against protesters to bypass any and all disputes against the company.
The father and son confront internal struggles that serve as a metaphor for Vietnam’s paradoxical ideology, class conflicts, and contradictions of interest. The hope is that Viet, a representative of a new generation equipped with a European educational background, will act in good faith while learning from his deceased father’s mistakes.
What makes the novel so intriguing is Viet’s moral dilemma: he wants to succeed as a CEO and yet is hesitant to perform the malicious conduct required to do so. This makes for good tension as Việt navigates the bureaucracy of his new position while constantly searching for Mr. Big, who stands behind the scenes and manipulates business transactions, land-grabbing execution, and investment permits sought by developers.
As an established author in Vietnam, Tạ cannot simply slight his communist government. He follows the tradition of showing rather than telling, which is conducive to nuanced storytelling, and delineates events plainly. However, he is never glib, concealing mystery behind the thoughts and intentions of his characters. The novel focuses on mafia-like privatized boardrooms and portrays corrupt local government officials intermittently.
Despite being a work of fiction, the story holds socio-historical truths. There is no shortage of capitalization at the expense of the poor, and Vietnam is no exception. Tạ unveils the marriage of capitalism and communism in a unique way that displays sleazy investors versus firm activists and intellectuals at odds. The Termite Queen has some nods to noir but keeps from getting overly dramatic. Not only is there an investigation, but there is romance as well as action. Việt becomes a detective in his own right, traveling to rural communities that show the aftermath of previous deals in which his father was directly involved. While he must navigate his way through the maze of industrialization and urbanization in twenty-first century Vietnam, he becomes inquisitive about who is actually weaving the strings at the risk of his family and well-being.
Avarice, legacy, and morality are intertwined in the potential industrialization of a rural community and task Việt to come to terms with his family’s history and his role in the progress or demise of his people. While the setting of the novel may be grim, Tạ shows hope in Vietnam’s future without praising his country to appease authorities. Readers are introduced to a modern Vietnam with its opposing ambitions, and citizens caught between staunch capitalists, and communist officials while navigating a technologically advanced but highly monitored and censored country.
The Termite Queen
by Tạ Duy Anh
translated by Quan Manh Ha and Charles Waugh
Penguin Random House SEA
Michael Merlo is a writer in Missoula, Montana. He has worked as a newspaper reporter in Montana and West Texas where his local journalism was highlighted nationally. Merlo is a graduate of The University of Montana where he worked as an Online Editor of Flash at CutBank Literary Magazine. His creative work can be found in the Oval Literary Magazine and The North Dakota Quarterly.
