Vincent Lam

From internationally acclaimed and bestselling author Vincent Lam comes a superbly crafted, highly suspenseful, and deeply affecting novel set against the turmoil of the Vietnam War. Percival Chen is headmaster of the most respected English school in Saigon, a patriot, fiercely proud of his Chinese heritage. He is also a compulsive gambler and an incorrigible womanizer. He devotedly ignores all news of the fighting that swirls around him, content to pay the requisite bribes to the ever-changing government officials and to spend his nights at the casino tables. When his only son gets in trouble with the Vietnamese authorities, Percival has no choice but to send him away. In the loneliness that follows, Percival finds solace with Jacqueline, a beautiful woman of mixed French and Vietnamese heritage. But as the conflict intensifies, the time will come when the headmaster must confront the truths he once refused to see. Blessed with intriguingly flawed characters moving through a landscape ravaged by war, 'The Headmaster's Wager' is an almost unbearably tense story of love, betrayal and sacrifice.

The first novel from Vincent Lam, the acclaimed Canadian author of 'Bloodletting & Miraculous Cures', 'The Headmaster ' follows a Chinese family in 1960s Vietnam, a country on the brink of war Percival Chen is a successful Chinese rice importer in Vietnam He is also the headmaster of the most respected English School in Saigon -- and a compulsive gambler...

Winner of the 2006 Scotiabank Giller PrizeAn astonishing literary debut centred around four students as they apply to medical school, qualify as doctors and face the realities of working in medicine, from a powerful voice in fiction.Following the interlinked stories of a group of medical students and the unique challenges they face, from the med school to the intense world of emergency rooms, evac missions, and terrifying new viruses. Riveting, convincing and precise, Bloodletting & Miraculous Cures looks with rigorous honesty at the lives of doctors and their patients, bringing us to a deeper understanding of the challenges and temptations that surge around us all.In this masterful collection, Vincent Lam weaves together black humour, investigations of both common and extraordinary moral dilemmas, and a sometimes shockingly realistic portrait of todays medical profession.

From Giller Prize winner, internationally acclaimed, and bestselling author Vincent Lam comes a superbly crafted, highly suspenseful, and deeply affecting novel set against the turmoil of the Vietnam War.Percival Chen is the headmaster of the most respected English school in Saigon. He is also a bon vivant, a compulsive gambler and an incorrigible womanizer. He is well accustomed to bribing a forever-changing list of government officials in order to maintain the elite status of the Chen Academy. He is fiercely proud of his Chinese heritage, and quick to spot the business opportunities rife in a divided country. He devotedly ignores all news of the fighting that swirls around him, choosing instead to read the faces of his opponents at high-stakes mahjong tables. But when his only son gets in trouble with the Vietnamese authorities, Percival faces the limits of his connections and wealth and is forced to send him away. In the loneliness that follows, Percival finds solace in Jacqueline, a beautiful woman of mixed French and Vietnamese heritage, and Laing Jai, a son born to them on the eve of the Tet offensive. Percivals new-found happiness is precarious, and as the complexities of war encroach further and further into his world, he must confront the tragedy of all he has refused to see. Blessed with intriguingly flawed characters moving through a richly drawn historical and physical landscape, The Headmasters Wager is a riveting story of love, betrayal and sacrifice.

Once voted the greatest Canadian of all time, Tommy Douglas was a prairie politician who believed in democratic socialism, the crucial role of civil rights, and the great potential of cooperation for the common good. He is best known as the Father of Medicare. Born in 1904, Douglas was a championship boxer and a Baptist minister who later exchanged his pulpit for a political platform. A powerful orator and tireless activist, he sat first as a federal MP and then served for 17 years as premier of Saskatchewan, where he introduced the universal health-insurance system that would eventually be adopted across Canada. As leader of the national NDP, he was a staunch advocate of programs such as the Canada Pension Plan and was often the conscience of Parliament on matters of civil liberties. In the process, he made democratic socialism a part of mainstream Canadian political life. Giller Prizewinning author Vincent Lam, an emergency physician who works on the front lines of the health-care system, brings a novelists eye to the life of one of Canadas greats.

From internationally acclaimed and bestselling author Vincent Lam comes a superbly crafted, highly suspenseful, and deeply affecting novel set against the turmoil of the Vietnam War.Percival Chen is the headmaster of the most respected English school in Saigon. He is also a bon vivant, a compulsive gambler and an incorrigible womanizer. He is well accustomed to bribing a forever-changing list of government officials in order to maintain the elite status of the Chen Academy. He is fiercely proud of his Chinese heritage, and quick to spot the business opportunities rife in a divided country. He devotedly ignores all news of the fighting that swirls around him, choosing instead to read the faces of his opponents at high-stakes mahjong tables.But when his only son gets in trouble with the Vietnamese authorities, Percival faces the limits of his connections and wealth and is forced to send him away. In the loneliness that follows, Percival finds solace in Jacqueline, a beautiful woman of mixed French and Vietnamese heritage, and Laing Jai, a son born to them on the eve of the Tet offensive. Percivals new-found happiness is precarious, and as the complexities of war encroach further and further into his world, he must confront the tragedy of all he has refused to see.Blessed with intriguingly flawed characters moving through a richly drawn historical and physical landscape, The Headmasters Wager is a riveting story of love, betrayal and sacrifice.

A superbly crafted, highly suspenseful, and deeply affecting debut novel about one mans loyalty to his country, his family and his heritage Percival Chen is the headmaster of the most respected English academy in 1960s Saigon, and he is well accustomed to bribing a forever-changing list of government officials in order to maintain the elite status of his school. Fiercely proud of his Chinese heritage, he is quick to spot the business opportunities rife in a divided country, though he also harbors a weakness for gambling haunts and the women who frequent them. He devotedly ignores all news of the fighting that swirls around him, but when his only son gets in trouble with the Vietnamese authorities, Percival faces the limits of his connections and wealth and is forced to send him away. In the loneliness that follows, Percival finds solace in Jacqueline, a beautiful woman of mixed French and Vietnamese heritage whom he is able to confide in. But Percivals new-found happiness is precarious, and as the complexities of war encroach further into his world, he must confront the tragedy of all he has refused to see.Graced with intriguingly flawed but wonderfully human characters moving through a richly drawn historical landscape, The Headmasters Wager is an unforgettable story of love, betrayal and sacrifice.Praise for The Headmasters Wager[A] sumptuously plotted first novel . . . Lam goes for the jugular, combining an operatic love story . . . with evocations of Vietnams occupation by the Japanese and the later horrors of the Vietcongs persecution of the city of Hue. . . . His most provocative character is the shadowy Teacher Mak, Chens longtime aide-de-camp, whose shifting masks of comrade and adversary potently embody the intricate survival tactics required of aliens afloat in a country of fractured allegiances.The New York Times Book ReviewA vivid, palpable and lyrical document evoking a forgotten segment of modern Vietnamese history. An unforgettable portrait of love, betrayal and sacrifice.Shelf Awareness"A masterfully paced exploration of a world convulsed by war, wherein faith and reason no longer hold sway . . . Lam marshals his characters with humor suspense, and tenderness as the fall of Saigon looms . . . [and] depicts a world caught in an implacable cycle of violence, leavened only by the grace of a fathers love."Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Traer niños al mundo, diseccionar cadáveres, batallar contra un virus desconocido, enamorarse, beber a solas: Bienvenidos al mundo del doctor Vincent Lam.Provocativa, desgarradora y con un humor negro de lo mas genuino, esta obra supone un impresionante retrato de la profesion medica. Ming, Fitzgerald, Sri y Chen son los cuatro ambiciosos protagonistas de esta obra. Se enamoran al tiempo que preparan sus examenes, afrontan dilemas morales mientras practican con cadaveres, se enfrentan a la policia para salvaguardar la intimidad de sus pacientes e incluso deben sobrellevar que la gran epidemia de SARS de 2003 (de la que el autor fue testigo de primera mano) acabe convirtiendoles de medicos en pacientes. Una descripcion profunda e inolvidable de una profesion tan respetada como vapuleada.Lecciones de anatomia impactantes, diseccion de cadaveres, amor entre listados de musculos. Vincent Lam ha conseguido con esta obra el prestigioso Scotiabank Giller Prize, que nunca se habia concedido a una primera obra.

An essential survival guideboth to pandemic influenza, and to the hype surrounding it.Written by an emergency physician and a public health physician, The Flu Pandemic and You is a timely and forthright guide on how to prepare for an influenza pandemic, and how to understand the broader context in which this health threat exists. With cool heads and professional expertise, Drs. Lam and Lee carefully explain how readers can assess their level of risk, and set out practical advice on how to contend with a pandemic, addressing such issues as: How the flu virus works and what level of threat Canadians really face How to help protect yourself and your family from contracting influenza How to identify symptoms What you need to know about antiviral drugs What to do in a worst-case scenarioThe Flu Pandemic and You develops a lucid framework to help people understand the current anxiety about influenza in the context of the risks we all face in our daily lives. This crucially important book, full of reasoned, knowledgeable advice, is an indispensable resource for fearful times.

An astonishing literary debut, this collection of mature and intricate stories introduces a powerful new voice in fiction. A STUNNING DEBUT Margaret Atwood IRRESISTIBLE Alice Munro In this beautifully written collection, Vincent Lam weaves together black humour, investigations of both common and extraordinary moral dilemmas, and a sometimes shockingly realistic portrait of todays medical profession. Twelve interlinked stories introduce us to a group of medical students over ten years, as they make the transition from medical school to hospital life. The stories span the unique challenges faced by young, inexperienced doctors having to decide during a first human dissection whether it is more important to follow the anatomy textbook or keep a tattoo intact but also delve into their private lives, their relationships and family histories, their fears and motivations. Riveting, convincing and precise, Bloodletting & Miraculous Cures looks with rigorous honesty at the specificities of the lives of doctors and their patients and brings us to a deeper understanding of the challenges and temptations that surge around us all.