Tuesday, April 23, 2019

Vietnam War novel takes out top international award


Horowhenua author, Carole Brungar, has won a gold medal for her third novel, The Nam Shadow, in the internationally acclaimed Independent Publisher Book Awards.

Brungar’s novel won first place in the Australia/New Zealand/Pacific Rim category.

The Independent Publisher Book Awards, known as the IPPY Awards, were established in 1996 to recognise excellence in independent publishing worldwide and reward those who exhibit the courage, innovation, and creativity to bring about change in the world of publishing.

Each year the awards are intended to reward exemplary books from among independently owned and operated publishers, foundation or university presses and independent publishers who publish less than fifty titles per year.

The Nam Shadow is the second Vietnam novel in a series by the Levin author. It follows on from The Nam Legacy, also an award winning novel. The novels explore the lives of New Zealanders before, during and after the Vietnam War.

Where The Nam Legacy focused on the affects of PTSD, The Nam Shadow highlights the consequences of exposure to Agent Orange and other chemicals used during the Vietnam war.

“There aren’t many New Zealand stories that are set around the Vietnam War, or that explore the consequences of the war,” Carole said. “I would like to think that those men and women who went to Vietnam and their experiences as a consequence, are not forgotten.”

The Nam Shadow is available from bookstores across New Zealand or the author’s website, carolebrungar.com

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