The Silk Merchant’s Daughter

Travel Guide

Vietnam, Hanoi – In 1952, part of French IndoChina and a country torn apart by war.

Many of the streets and features of the city in the novel are obviously not there now but the booktrail aims to give a modern interpretation of the places with historical significance.

This is a vibrant and culturally rich place sullied by war and violence. It is a country in chaos for no one can predict what will happen next. Loyalties are divided between two cultures, two peoples, and even within families.

Hanoi is painted with rich, vibrant paintbrush of words, the silk shop and silk trade are an important part of Nicole’s world. She makes a success of the shop, immerses herself in the vibrant word of the silk trade, and in her Vietnamese heritage. There is even a chance of a romance in the form of an American silk trader, but what is he doing in Hanoi and what side is he on?

But the area is full of rebels hoping to end French rule, and determined to achieve this through whatever means necessary. There is injustice after injustice as the tension rising with both sides desperate to get the upper hand. The tension, both political and racial is felt in the eyes of the poor on the streets, poverty and dirt outside a shop that sells luxury silk. People running scared, starved and afraid.

She is drawn to this world and a man within it, for her family seem to offer no loyalty. Only the French housemaid who has nursed he since a baby seems to have any understanding of her plight. The family secret has put her world into chaos and she is forced to make some heartbreaking decisions.

Nicole’s choice is hard -she has formed attachments on both sides, and still cannot trust her family. Alone in such a brutal and unforgiving world, this young silk merchants daughter has an impossible choice between emotions, culture, faith and family.