Lotus Quest

In this third book of the Lotus trilogy, sisters Lien and Kim join the struggle for their country's survival as the Vietnam War winds down. In the wake of the wartime chaos, their family has been shattered by death and exile on two continents. Manipulated by military and CIA intelligence agents, Lien works inside the U.S. delegation to the Paris Peace Accords, while Kim provides a direct line into the Presidential Palace in Saigon. Lien has been convinced to leave behind the love of her life for the sake of pursuing peace, and Kim has lost her husband and been separated from her children. Their lives are complicated when they each have children in the midst of the war, and must rely on friends for support. The peace process falters, then ultimately fails, bringing stark realizations: not only have they been used, but the fight for the life of their country has been futile as a result of government ineptitude in Saigon, deception by Hanoi, and desertion by the Americans. When they are finally reunited, it is as refugees far from their native land, and not without a few twists and turns in the reunion. 320 pages.