MY YEAR ABROAD

On my travels I would soon be delivered into situations that I didn’t want to partake in but somehow always did, because that’s what we fellows do, wittingly and not, and to everyone’s detriment.”
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In this wild ride of a novel, college student Tiller Bardmon takes a life-changing detour to accompany Pong Lou, a charismatic Chinese American entrepreneur, on a business trip across Asia. Along the way, Pong’s associates lead them through recreational, culinary and carnal adventures that you know will eventually crash and burn. Alternating between Tiller’s sensory-exploding journey and his domestic existence in suburban anonymity, this coming of age story explores the complicated path to identity, and the limitations of the American dream.

My Year Abroad is a study in extravagant contrasts. Melancholy and exuberance. Waste and opportunity. Desolation and excess. The story is told with literary acrobatics that are tragic and hilarious, observations within observations that are both dizzying and spellbinding. To me, Tiller was a tender, naive mash-up of Catcher in the Rye’s Holden Caulfield, Theo from The Goldfinch and Breaking Bad’s Jesse Pinkman - I rooted for this vulnerable young man in his search for meaning and human connection.

For this food-filled novel, I created my first ever double post. To honor Constance’s red bean mochi, I made mochi ice cream balls in green tea and red bean to match this gorgeous cover. And, swipe for a banh mi inspired by Victor Jr’s “Thai Dixie” banh mi sandwich contest entry. Please note this is not intended to be a traditional Vietnamese banh mi - it is inspired by one in the story, which plays on food trend satire and is prepared by a child prodigy! I could fill 100 posts with food from this book. Let’s hope we can all travel again one day soon, sample incredible dishes and have some new experiences - though maybe less adventuresome than the ones in this book!