What do you think?
Rate this book
The Hundred-Year Flood
In the tradition of Native Speaker and The Family Fang, Matthew Salesses weaves together the tangled threads of identity, love, growing up, and relationships in his stunning first novel, The Hundred Year Flood. This beautiful and dreamlike debut follows twenty-two-year-old Tee as he escapes to Prague in the wake of his uncle’s suicide and the aftermath of 9/11. Tee tries to convince himself that living in a new place will mean a new identity and a chance to shed the parallels between him and his adopted father. His life intertwines with Pavel Picasso, a painter famous for revolution; Katka, his equally alluring wife; and Picasso's partner—a giant of a man with an American name. In the shadow of a looming flood that comes every one hundred years, Tee contemplates his own place in life as both mixed and adopted and as an American in a strange land full of heroes, myths, and ghosts.
236 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2015
260 people are currently reading
2792 people want to read
About the author
Matthew Salesses
22 books528 followersBestselling author of The Hundred-Year Flood and Disappear Doppelgänger Disappear, among other books. Craft in the Real World comes out Jan, 2021. I’m adopted.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 165 reviews
August 4, 2015
For a more in-depth review, see my blog, http://dog-earedbooks.weebly.com/blog...
What struck me most about this book was that while the prose is very elegant and at times almost lyrical, Tee never goes anywhere. He circles around his issues and his neighborhood, very often spelling out for the reader exactly how his story mirrors his father's, but he does next to nothing about it. At times it seemed like the whole novel was a written account by a disinterested third party, one who simply wrote what he saw as he saw it--the court reporter approach. I wanted more than that for Tee (and for Prague, dammit). There was a comment by Salesses in the afterword that seemed very telling to me: he mentions he worked on this book for a decade. That lyrical prose sometimes felt overworked, like he literally spent a decade writing and rewriting certain passages, struggling for a way through Tee's ennui.
Ultimately, I didn't find The Hundred-Year Flood to be rewarding, although I think Salesses could be a great writer. I'll be interested to see what he does next.
What struck me most about this book was that while the prose is very elegant and at times almost lyrical, Tee never goes anywhere. He circles around his issues and his neighborhood, very often spelling out for the reader exactly how his story mirrors his father's, but he does next to nothing about it. At times it seemed like the whole novel was a written account by a disinterested third party, one who simply wrote what he saw as he saw it--the court reporter approach. I wanted more than that for Tee (and for Prague, dammit). There was a comment by Salesses in the afterword that seemed very telling to me: he mentions he worked on this book for a decade. That lyrical prose sometimes felt overworked, like he literally spent a decade writing and rewriting certain passages, struggling for a way through Tee's ennui.
Ultimately, I didn't find The Hundred-Year Flood to be rewarding, although I think Salesses could be a great writer. I'll be interested to see what he does next.
January 4, 2016
Seriously intense literary fiction. There were moments I loved it, swept away in the language and imagery, but there were also many times I was lost. I kept having to go back and read paragraphs again. I never quite fell in love with the characters, although I did fall in love with Prague.
August 3, 2015
I'm afraid I don't really have the chops to critique literary fiction. What I know is that at some point after the first third of the book, I couldn't put it down. I've just now finished it and I want to stay inside this book. I want to swim with the floodwaters. I want to go back to the evenings when Pavel and Katka and Rockefeller were first getting to know each other. I want to walk the streets of Prague.
The writing feels rich and consistent. The writing is lyrical and luscious in its metaphor. Salesses has grasped the ability to capture so many intimate moments, his keen eye on things such as making a church steeple with someone's hand.
I adored the legends and stories about Prague. In the end, the plot's resolution felt right to me, felt tightly held and perfectly executed.
I picked this up for free as Amazon's "first read" or "first pick" thing of the month. Very glad I did. I would have been equally as happy paying full price for this. A good read.
The writing feels rich and consistent. The writing is lyrical and luscious in its metaphor. Salesses has grasped the ability to capture so many intimate moments, his keen eye on things such as making a church steeple with someone's hand.
I adored the legends and stories about Prague. In the end, the plot's resolution felt right to me, felt tightly held and perfectly executed.
I picked this up for free as Amazon's "first read" or "first pick" thing of the month. Very glad I did. I would have been equally as happy paying full price for this. A good read.
December 29, 2017
The Silmarillian was easier to follow,
I have read many books that were hard to get a hold of in the beginning. But I don't think that even with Map Quest and a private guide this one would ever made sense. I find it easier to believe in zombies. This is the mad ramblings of a disconnected mind. Sorry!
I have read many books that were hard to get a hold of in the beginning. But I don't think that even with Map Quest and a private guide this one would ever made sense. I find it easier to believe in zombies. This is the mad ramblings of a disconnected mind. Sorry!
August 26, 2015
After the first few pages, my initial reaction was, "Oh, no, not another MFA-approved senior project!" It had all the elements: obscure racial designations, otherness, exotic locations, angst and art and, oh no. Except for one thing...this is good. It's good.
That's because the identity issues aren't the usual MFA, "Who am I and Who is Other?" ke-rap but a real one for we adoptees; who are you? Who are you really? Yes, yes, adoptive families and organizations swear up and down that we are theirs and Part of the Family and yes, technically and morally, that's true. But we all know we are someone different, that we are, ultimately, frauds who do not belong anywhere. Save your assurances of the contrary because we've heard all those arguments and, regardless of their intellectual strength, it's not how we feel. And, yes, yes, feelings and a dollar gets you a cup of coffee, but when your basic sense of identity is of interloper, afterthought, lesser, then you tend to start off with a skewed viewpoint. It becomes even more skewed if you have the unfortunate privilege of discovering one's origin story which, 9 times out of 10, turns out rather sordid. That happens to the protagonist, Tee. It happened to me. I empathize.
This is not a difficult read. I found it straight forward, with less actual stream-of-consciousness than the real way people think and talk. You'll have no difficulties. Unless you're adopted. Then, you'll have a few.
That's because the identity issues aren't the usual MFA, "Who am I and Who is Other?" ke-rap but a real one for we adoptees; who are you? Who are you really? Yes, yes, adoptive families and organizations swear up and down that we are theirs and Part of the Family and yes, technically and morally, that's true. But we all know we are someone different, that we are, ultimately, frauds who do not belong anywhere. Save your assurances of the contrary because we've heard all those arguments and, regardless of their intellectual strength, it's not how we feel. And, yes, yes, feelings and a dollar gets you a cup of coffee, but when your basic sense of identity is of interloper, afterthought, lesser, then you tend to start off with a skewed viewpoint. It becomes even more skewed if you have the unfortunate privilege of discovering one's origin story which, 9 times out of 10, turns out rather sordid. That happens to the protagonist, Tee. It happened to me. I empathize.
This is not a difficult read. I found it straight forward, with less actual stream-of-consciousness than the real way people think and talk. You'll have no difficulties. Unless you're adopted. Then, you'll have a few.
June 18, 2015
review to come
August 15, 2015
For a first-time author, a number of literary aspects of the novel were quite good. I was reminded of a younger JD Salinger. Or perhaps Updike. However, literary merit is also defined as "the power to endure", at least that is what Walter Van Tilburg Clark said way back in the 1950's at the "Howl" obscenity trial. He went on further to say that literary merit includes the sincerity of the writer and the seriousness of purpose.
The Hundred-Year Flood doesn't fail on these counts, not totally. There is no doubt about the author's sincerity. No one works on a project for this length of time without believing they have something meaningful to say or carthartic to release. But, as a reader, there has to be a "hook" to make me want to share that journey. One would think that a story of Prague and the 2002 flooding would be sufficient, but it was not.
Tee is a very immature, self-centered, selfish Korean-American. Despite at least some reasonable expectation that a young man in his early 20's is going to have an attenuated view of reality, he has very little empathy. The novel deals principally with feelings of how Tee is affected by the universe. We see very little empathic activity on his part....a colder Holden Caulfield?
So, where does that leave us? Me? I suppose I'd recommend Catcher in the Rye to someone who hasn't read it, and any number of travel writers on Prague. But, I wouldn't recommend this novel. Tee is not someone that I liked or sympathized with.
Meh.
The Hundred-Year Flood doesn't fail on these counts, not totally. There is no doubt about the author's sincerity. No one works on a project for this length of time without believing they have something meaningful to say or carthartic to release. But, as a reader, there has to be a "hook" to make me want to share that journey. One would think that a story of Prague and the 2002 flooding would be sufficient, but it was not.
Tee is a very immature, self-centered, selfish Korean-American. Despite at least some reasonable expectation that a young man in his early 20's is going to have an attenuated view of reality, he has very little empathy. The novel deals principally with feelings of how Tee is affected by the universe. We see very little empathic activity on his part....a colder Holden Caulfield?
So, where does that leave us? Me? I suppose I'd recommend Catcher in the Rye to someone who hasn't read it, and any number of travel writers on Prague. But, I wouldn't recommend this novel. Tee is not someone that I liked or sympathized with.
Meh.
August 2, 2018
🌟🌟🌟🌟
4 stars to Michael Salesses’ ‘The Hundred Year Flood’.
I added this to my TBR shelf some time ago but put it on the back burner until I realised it was available via the Kindle Lending Library. I then picked it up but realised the reviews were no longer as positive. I tried it anyway and I was glad I did.
A few people here mention that it’s difficult to follow but I don’t agree with this. I actually found it the exact opposite because really, there isn’t much of a plot. What could be confusing is the fact that Tee gets confused with the similarities between his life in Prague and his imagined versions of events that let to his conception and, later, adoption.
Tee is a confused character. He’s desperately searching for meaning and feeling like he cannot find it due to the confusion surrounding his adoption. His adoptive mother drops a bombshell on him via and email and Tee struggles to comprehend this as he has already created a fictional backstory for himself that he is essentially obsessed with. This is confounded by his duel Korean/American heritage and adds to his feeling of not belonging or being a constant outsider.
Alongside a beautiful depiction of Prague and the harrowing flood that threatens to destroy it, this is a story of desperation of identity. Every character here is searching for something more but just cannot find it. They are beautiful in their own way but you never truly feel like you understand them because they don’t understand themselves. That’s the whole point.
I think with this kind of literary fiction, you either get it, and like it, or you don’t. I did like it, but I couldn’t read too much material like this. It’s heavy and I don’t often like it when I feel like the author has created a character within which they can dump their own emotional baggage into; it felt like a very personal depiction to me and I was a little conscious of the writer’s voice. That being said, it was an enjoyable read.
4 stars to Michael Salesses’ ‘The Hundred Year Flood’.
I added this to my TBR shelf some time ago but put it on the back burner until I realised it was available via the Kindle Lending Library. I then picked it up but realised the reviews were no longer as positive. I tried it anyway and I was glad I did.
A few people here mention that it’s difficult to follow but I don’t agree with this. I actually found it the exact opposite because really, there isn’t much of a plot. What could be confusing is the fact that Tee gets confused with the similarities between his life in Prague and his imagined versions of events that let to his conception and, later, adoption.
Tee is a confused character. He’s desperately searching for meaning and feeling like he cannot find it due to the confusion surrounding his adoption. His adoptive mother drops a bombshell on him via and email and Tee struggles to comprehend this as he has already created a fictional backstory for himself that he is essentially obsessed with. This is confounded by his duel Korean/American heritage and adds to his feeling of not belonging or being a constant outsider.
Alongside a beautiful depiction of Prague and the harrowing flood that threatens to destroy it, this is a story of desperation of identity. Every character here is searching for something more but just cannot find it. They are beautiful in their own way but you never truly feel like you understand them because they don’t understand themselves. That’s the whole point.
I think with this kind of literary fiction, you either get it, and like it, or you don’t. I did like it, but I couldn’t read too much material like this. It’s heavy and I don’t often like it when I feel like the author has created a character within which they can dump their own emotional baggage into; it felt like a very personal depiction to me and I was a little conscious of the writer’s voice. That being said, it was an enjoyable read.
September 23, 2018
Frustrating.
October 26, 2024
This is the worst book I’ve ever read. Trying to be something it’s not, literally begging to be analyzed by a 11th grade AP lit class. Literally sooooooo baddddd. Every character was insufferable and this book was so performative tortured and fake profound. FADEEEEE
May 29, 2015
I received this book from Little A Publishing and NetGalley for an honest review. The official release date is August 11th 2015.
Thomas (nicknamed Tee throughout the book) is an adopted Asian American looking for purpose and position in life. Immediately after the tragedy of 9/11, Tee sets out on a journey of self discovery, a journey that will change his life in more ways than he could ever anticipate.
THE HUNDRED YEAR FLOOD reads like a painting come to life, and/or a long form poetic tale with a theme around the idea that the sins of the father will haunt his future offspring and that karma is indeed a very real theory.
This book gives you plenty to think about, to the point that you could pause between each chapter and spend a lot time contemplating all of the underlying metaphors, meanings and lessons that lie within. There is wisdom in this book, but I couldn’t get past Tee’s uncompassionate, home wrecking actions in the story. I understand the theme that the author was going for, but at the same time, it made me not root, nor really care to read about Tee.
Nonetheless, I would still recommend this book to those that like to think about what they have read, long after the last page has been turned. I give this one a 4/5!
Thomas (nicknamed Tee throughout the book) is an adopted Asian American looking for purpose and position in life. Immediately after the tragedy of 9/11, Tee sets out on a journey of self discovery, a journey that will change his life in more ways than he could ever anticipate.
THE HUNDRED YEAR FLOOD reads like a painting come to life, and/or a long form poetic tale with a theme around the idea that the sins of the father will haunt his future offspring and that karma is indeed a very real theory.
This book gives you plenty to think about, to the point that you could pause between each chapter and spend a lot time contemplating all of the underlying metaphors, meanings and lessons that lie within. There is wisdom in this book, but I couldn’t get past Tee’s uncompassionate, home wrecking actions in the story. I understand the theme that the author was going for, but at the same time, it made me not root, nor really care to read about Tee.
Nonetheless, I would still recommend this book to those that like to think about what they have read, long after the last page has been turned. I give this one a 4/5!
September 1, 2015
It says that it is an Asian-American novel, but I am not sure I agree.
Yes it features a Korean guy with American parents. But that is where I feel the Asian-American part ends. It is a novel about looking for one's roots and finding bearing on a difficult life. A wonderful read. I couldn't let the book down.
What I liked:
1) The sense of displacement is all around the novel. At the end, you do not know where the character really is.
2) Although we now what happened since the beginning of the novel, and by the middle of the novel, you know why it happened, one keeps feeling that the what and the why might not be as your are picturing in your mind.
3) Salesses describes Prague real good. I do not know the city, but I feel like I will recognize every street and quarter if I were to visit.
4) The novel is complete. It was one of the few where the ending goes very well with the whole story.
It was the best book I found on Kindle First. I hope it is not the last one.
Yes it features a Korean guy with American parents. But that is where I feel the Asian-American part ends. It is a novel about looking for one's roots and finding bearing on a difficult life. A wonderful read. I couldn't let the book down.
What I liked:
1) The sense of displacement is all around the novel. At the end, you do not know where the character really is.
2) Although we now what happened since the beginning of the novel, and by the middle of the novel, you know why it happened, one keeps feeling that the what and the why might not be as your are picturing in your mind.
3) Salesses describes Prague real good. I do not know the city, but I feel like I will recognize every street and quarter if I were to visit.
4) The novel is complete. It was one of the few where the ending goes very well with the whole story.
It was the best book I found on Kindle First. I hope it is not the last one.
August 16, 2015
a bit too artsy without enough payoff for it. I never felt like I really connected or knew the characters; there just wasn't enough of their words or thoughts to shape them. I didn't believe the affair. I didn't believe that Tee was hospitalized for so long for just having a bottle broken over his head, even if he was having emotional struggles. He seemed to be taking everything too hard-- is that insensitive of me? His uncle's death, his father's affair, Katka's death... who was the ghost? His birth mother? Anyway, something about it all just wasn't quite right.
Want to read
August 2, 2015Kindle prime free book for August 2015
July 4, 2021
I've come across dozens of novels about young American men floundering for identity in Prague, and when I read them it's with deep reservations. These are the very people I avoided at all cost in their bookstore and bagel shop, with their trust funds and Lit degrees, treating a whole nation like the backdrop for their personal success story. Of course there's the draw, the backstory of someone I gave directions to, bought a book from, carefully shepherded out of a bar they were too drunk to realize they weren't welcome in.
This particular book is so amazingly typical with every trope of this specific genre, but it's also something else. The story is centered in Tee's inner life, and could really take place anywhere. That aspect is interesting, sometimes well-written, and kept me reading. The story of Prague feels like an overlay of every expat, and frankly I'd rather hear stories from the very real people of Karlín who lost so much, or the people who suffered in the floods of '97 and '99, or the astounding tale of the evacuated zoo, or the scientists and activists working to revitalize the Vltava and restore the floodplain to stop these ever-increasing "100-year floods."
Where does that leave me? I know, there's no zealot like a convert, but I still feel protective of Czechs' opportunities to tell their own stories. So as a 20-something American man's coming of age, this is quite good; as a book of Prague, it's depressingly familiar.
This particular book is so amazingly typical with every trope of this specific genre, but it's also something else. The story is centered in Tee's inner life, and could really take place anywhere. That aspect is interesting, sometimes well-written, and kept me reading. The story of Prague feels like an overlay of every expat, and frankly I'd rather hear stories from the very real people of Karlín who lost so much, or the people who suffered in the floods of '97 and '99, or the astounding tale of the evacuated zoo, or the scientists and activists working to revitalize the Vltava and restore the floodplain to stop these ever-increasing "100-year floods."
Where does that leave me? I know, there's no zealot like a convert, but I still feel protective of Czechs' opportunities to tell their own stories. So as a 20-something American man's coming of age, this is quite good; as a book of Prague, it's depressingly familiar.
December 16, 2024
All personal tragedies become heavier when the flood is coming as if everything becomes muddied with sewage waters even before the catastrophe is here. It is a beautifully written book that takes you between an escape to Prague, questions unanswered in the US, and a ghostly presence of Korea in the main character's life. At times strange it gives you a taste of how human family secrets are no matter where you come from.
August 4, 2020
Books like this are why people hate literary fiction.
July 3, 2015
Please check out all of my reviews at http:/www.ultraviolentlit.blogspot.ca!
What struck me first about this novel was the poetic language, filled with metaphors and similes that are unusual yet strong and compelling. The writing is ethereal, and the story is only slowly revealed through foreshadowing, which causes a sense of dislocation for the reader. We aren’t sure where Tee is going, and neither is he. After struggling to deal with tragedy – both the events of 9/11 and the more personal suicide of his uncle – he leaves for Prague, hiding from himself as well as his family issues.
Tee is lost: he doesn’t understand himself or his own motivations, which makes it even more puzzling for the reader. He needs others to contextualize himself and without context – modelling for the artist Pavel Picasso, interacting with co-workers at a labyrinthine bookshop – he feels he will disappear. Confusion about his roots adds to his identity issues: Tee is Korean, adopted by an American family, living in the Czech Republic. Once his co-dependent relationships with the artist and his wife are thrown into the mix, Tee is in the midst of a full-blown identity crisis.
For the first half of this novel, I was having a really hard time following the storyline and staying invested in the characters. I thought it might have to do with the disjointed way I read it (a moment here or there) but I now think it is due to the many themes that the novel tries to reconcile. Tee’s struggle for a new identity takes many forms, as does his attempt to come to terms with his place in the family structure. The author explores themes of predestination and karma, as Tee looks down on his father for having an affair, yet begins one of his own with a married woman. Tee wants to prove he is different, yet he is ultimately just as selfish as his father – and it seems implied that selfishness is the human condition.
On top of everything else, all of Tee’s angst is taking place in the shadow of a flood that apparently occurs every one hundred years, although we are not really told why. It could be an overarching metaphor for the pointlessness of Tee’s (and everyone’s) existential crisis – it doesn’t matter who we are, it all gets washed away in the end. The flood also takes on a biblical quality: the water rises in Tee’s hideout with his married lover, literally washing away their sins.
The Hundred Year Flood was disjointed with moments of clarity – although I think that was intentional – with lovely metaphors that redeemed any issues I had with the plot. Tee is completely flawed, which is what makes him so satisfying to read about and so very relatable.
I received this book from Little A Publishing and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
What struck me first about this novel was the poetic language, filled with metaphors and similes that are unusual yet strong and compelling. The writing is ethereal, and the story is only slowly revealed through foreshadowing, which causes a sense of dislocation for the reader. We aren’t sure where Tee is going, and neither is he. After struggling to deal with tragedy – both the events of 9/11 and the more personal suicide of his uncle – he leaves for Prague, hiding from himself as well as his family issues.
Tee is lost: he doesn’t understand himself or his own motivations, which makes it even more puzzling for the reader. He needs others to contextualize himself and without context – modelling for the artist Pavel Picasso, interacting with co-workers at a labyrinthine bookshop – he feels he will disappear. Confusion about his roots adds to his identity issues: Tee is Korean, adopted by an American family, living in the Czech Republic. Once his co-dependent relationships with the artist and his wife are thrown into the mix, Tee is in the midst of a full-blown identity crisis.
For the first half of this novel, I was having a really hard time following the storyline and staying invested in the characters. I thought it might have to do with the disjointed way I read it (a moment here or there) but I now think it is due to the many themes that the novel tries to reconcile. Tee’s struggle for a new identity takes many forms, as does his attempt to come to terms with his place in the family structure. The author explores themes of predestination and karma, as Tee looks down on his father for having an affair, yet begins one of his own with a married woman. Tee wants to prove he is different, yet he is ultimately just as selfish as his father – and it seems implied that selfishness is the human condition.
On top of everything else, all of Tee’s angst is taking place in the shadow of a flood that apparently occurs every one hundred years, although we are not really told why. It could be an overarching metaphor for the pointlessness of Tee’s (and everyone’s) existential crisis – it doesn’t matter who we are, it all gets washed away in the end. The flood also takes on a biblical quality: the water rises in Tee’s hideout with his married lover, literally washing away their sins.
The Hundred Year Flood was disjointed with moments of clarity – although I think that was intentional – with lovely metaphors that redeemed any issues I had with the plot. Tee is completely flawed, which is what makes him so satisfying to read about and so very relatable.
I received this book from Little A Publishing and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
February 24, 2016
I have to admit to being disappointed by the larger plot arc of the book -- throughout the novel there are flash-forwards to the aftermath of some major injury sustained by the main character, Tee, the details of which are meant to come together as the story goes on. I've been following Salesses' essays for a while now and have always really enjoyed his style of writing, but with hindsight I think it's a style better suited to novella/long-form essay writing than a full-length novel. His prose flows beautifully, evoking particularly a sense of place and love of place for the city of Prague, however it also at times feels like a replacement for deeper character or plot development. Still giving this book 4 stars -- more realistically a 3.75 if I could get more accurate. I'm definitely looking forward to Salesses' future forays into novel writing and seeing how his wonderful style adapts to the medium.
December 28, 2016
Ugh, what an elegant slog. I think that is the most apt description. The writing itself was nice, at times really good. Salesses excelled at keeping much of the book dream-like...balancing on a knife's edge of magical. I have to respect that. There is a part of me (the part that really likes well-done magical realism) that wouldnt have minded if he took it one step further...but that (apparently) was not the tale I was being told.
Perhaps that want exposes my truest complaint about this book. I didn't care. About any of it. The characters weren't that interesting or even sympathetic. The plot was thin and largely involved parsing through the self-doubt and crippling emotions of the protagonist. I don't mind some works that focus inside a character's thoughts...a soul trying to find their place in the world...but couple that lack of moving plot with a character I don't particularly care about...and well, you get a 2-star review.
Perhaps that want exposes my truest complaint about this book. I didn't care. About any of it. The characters weren't that interesting or even sympathetic. The plot was thin and largely involved parsing through the self-doubt and crippling emotions of the protagonist. I don't mind some works that focus inside a character's thoughts...a soul trying to find their place in the world...but couple that lack of moving plot with a character I don't particularly care about...and well, you get a 2-star review.
March 31, 2016
I found the first part of this book difficult - confusing - but it pays off. I reached a point where I couldn't put it down, and want now to go back and re-read the beginning to recapture the parts I didn't understand.
This is a story of a young man of Asian descent, adopted by an American couple, who flees the states after the September 2001 attacks, and ends up in Prague during the days leading up to the 2002 European floods. Interestingly, this is exactly who and where the author is and was - an adopted Asian-American in Prague in 2002. The story, however, is fiction - I think.
It's told in a present/past sequence, and it was this switching I had the most difficulty with. Once it switches entirely to the past the story takes off, bringing it back to the present and making everything clear.
Worth the challenge.
This is a story of a young man of Asian descent, adopted by an American couple, who flees the states after the September 2001 attacks, and ends up in Prague during the days leading up to the 2002 European floods. Interestingly, this is exactly who and where the author is and was - an adopted Asian-American in Prague in 2002. The story, however, is fiction - I think.
It's told in a present/past sequence, and it was this switching I had the most difficulty with. Once it switches entirely to the past the story takes off, bringing it back to the present and making everything clear.
Worth the challenge.
September 15, 2015
I'm a slow reader, but I took an even longer time reading The Hundred-Year Flood because I kept having to put it down and marvel at how brilliant the writing is. Salesses is a stylistic writer, and takes great care in crafting his sentences. But he doesn't just use language to prop his work up. Rather, it is the foundation used to support the creation of full characters, people you can believe exist and are living this drama in real time. This novel is beautifully, seems effortlessly, written.
March 27, 2022
I have a very specific set of things I dislike in books and this manages to hit almost everyone one of them. Convoluted prose that put puts style over readability? Check. Thin plot that circles tangles around itself without progression? Check. Flat characters that are primarily defined by whining about personal drama that they can't seem to get the fuck over? Ugh, check. Basically any book that would receive an Oprah stamp, really. You may adore this book, but you also might watch soap operas and movies that are categorized under drama-romance on purpose.
August 12, 2015
I got this book as a freebie from Amazon Prime; I'd never heard of this novel or author before. It was an interesting story about a young man, a Korean American adoptee, who goes to Prague in order to break away from his "Asian" and "American" identities, with less success than he'd hoped. It's an unusual narrative, and while the characters were not all that sympathetic, I appreciated that the novel took place in a setting I haven't read much about before and that it was not predictable.
August 5, 2015
4.5 RATING.
If you want to dip your toe into "literary fiction" this is a great place to start. Beautifully written, the story line skips between the past and the present which might bother some readers. However, it's an effective strategy in this story as we see the flood ravage the town amidst a young man's emotional crisis.
NOTE: Contains some adult content that might offend conservative readers; however, I thought it was handled very well overall.
If you want to dip your toe into "literary fiction" this is a great place to start. Beautifully written, the story line skips between the past and the present which might bother some readers. However, it's an effective strategy in this story as we see the flood ravage the town amidst a young man's emotional crisis.
NOTE: Contains some adult content that might offend conservative readers; however, I thought it was handled very well overall.
January 30, 2023
A masterpiece of disassociation due to trauma and a quest for identity that somehow had the character, plot building, and lyrical sense of place to make me feel completely in touch the whole time. It had been a while since I read anything - fiction or non-fiction - and felt like I was really escaping into the work, taking my time to enjoy reading for the sake of reading. Makes me want to see what I can find in Prague.
September 10, 2015
Wow what a wonderful creation
This is a great book. It kept my attention and drew me into the character's world. I have never been to Prague but in Matthew Salesses' writing I felt like I was there. This is Mr. Salesses' first novel, and I am looking forward to reading more of his writing both from the past and the future. You sir have gained a fan.
This is a great book. It kept my attention and drew me into the character's world. I have never been to Prague but in Matthew Salesses' writing I felt like I was there. This is Mr. Salesses' first novel, and I am looking forward to reading more of his writing both from the past and the future. You sir have gained a fan.
September 12, 2015
Finally read one of the Kindle First free monthly selections after seeing this debut novel on multiple 'Best of Fall 2015' release lists. I read it in a couple hours on the beach while on vacation. Very poignant story that read quickly but felt like maybe part of it went over my head. Would make an excellent book club selection with interesting discussion questions. 3.5 stars.
December 28, 2015
I think I was too distracted to fully appreciate this book, but still it was well written, but it was kind of eh. The 4 stars comes from my appreciation of it while it's not my favorite and I probably won't reread it.
August 18, 2015
Flood of ideas
This will appeal to those interested in mixed ethnicity issues. What I thought would be a three star book became a four star as I read the poignantly written last two chapters. I purchased as kindle first.
This will appeal to those interested in mixed ethnicity issues. What I thought would be a three star book became a four star as I read the poignantly written last two chapters. I purchased as kindle first.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 165 reviews