A Million Shades of Gray (review)

Set in the mid-'70s, this historical novel follows the struggle and ultimate destruction of a remote village of Dega people living in the hills of South Vietnam. Y'Tin wants nothing more than to be an elephant handler, and his dream is realized when, at the age of thirteen, he is assigned the all-important task of caring for Lady, one of the tribe's three elephants. Although the Americans have left Vietnam, the war rages on, despite the mandates of the Paris Peace Treaty, and when word reaches the small village that the North Vietnamese Army is about to attack, the entire community prepares to embark into the jungle where they have no hopes of survival. The NVA do arrive, and Y'Tin witnesses their extraordinarily violent attack on his home and neighbors; he and his friend Y'Juen manage to escape and soon find the elephants and the third young handler in the jungle. The latter part of the story follows the three boys and the elephants as they deal with the realization that half their village has been brutally murdered while the other half is hidden somewhere in the hills, starting a guerilla defensive in hopes of standing up to the much stronger North Vietnamese. The internal conflict among the boys is abundant, with alliances shifting and suspicion constantly on the rise. Because Y'Tin's father worked for the American Special Forces, the other boys blame him for the trouble; Y'Tin withdraws to his elephant but she, too, is demonstrating a shift in alliance, as she keeps disappearing to spend time with a herd of wild elephants. The relationships are strongly crafted, most notably that of Y'Tin and his father, a man whom he trusts above all others, and the dialogue between the two of them is particularly moving. The strong characters set against the backdrop of volatile events makes for a riveting read, and fans of both history and relationship stories will find plenty to take in. A brief author's note is included.