The Map of Lost Memories - Paperback

by Kim Fay (Author)

Edgar Award Finalist for Best First Novel by an American Author

"Captivating . . . has qualities any reader would wish for: adventure, romance, history and a vividly described exotic setting."--The Washington Post

In 1925 the international treasure-hunting scene is a man's world, and no one understands this better than Irene Blum, who is passed over for a coveted museum curatorship because she is a woman. Seeking to restore her reputation, she sets off from Seattle in search of a temple believed to house the lost history of Cambodia's ancient Khmer civilization. But her quest to make the greatest archaeological discovery of the century soon becomes a quest for her family's secrets. Embracing the colorful and corrupt world of colonial Asia in the early 1900s, The Map of Lost Memories takes readers into a forgotten era where nothing is as it seems. As Irene travels through Shanghai's lawless back streets and Saigon's opium-filled lanes, she joins forces with a Communist temple robber and an intriguing nightclub owner with a complicated past. What they bring to light deep within the humidity-soaked Cambodian jungle does more than change history. It ultimately solves the mysteries of their own lives.

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Praise for The Map of Lost Memories

"In The Map of Lost Memories, Kim Fay draws us into a universe as exotic, intense, and historically detailed as the ancient artifacts her unforgettable heroine seeks. It's a deliciously unexpected journey: Indiana Jones meets Somerset Maugham meets Marguerite Duras."--Jennifer Cody Epstein, author of The Painter from Shanghai

"A thrilling mix of adventure and personal discovery . . . Kim] Fay crafts an intricate page-turner that will keep readers breathless and guessing."--Publishers Weekly

"A ripping good tale . . . mysterious Asian locations . . . a driven young American heroine . . . an era no longer remembered but faded to romantic imagination . . . The Map of Lost Memories pulls the components together in a story that intrigues and rewards."--Lincoln Journal Star

"Fay's extraordinary novel has everything great historical-adventure fiction should--a strikingly original setting, exhilarating plot twists, and a near-impossible quest."--Booklist (starred review)

Author Biography

Born in Seattle and raised throughout the Pacific Northwest, Kim Fay lived in Vietnam for four years and still travels to Southeast Asia frequently. A former bookseller, she is the author of Communion: A Culinary Journey Through Vietnam, winner of the World Gourmand Cookbook Awards' Best Asian Cuisine Book in the United States. She is also the creator/editor of a series of guidebooks on Southeast Asia. Fay now lives in Los Angeles. This is her first novel.