The Termite Queen delves into the seamy underground of corrupt development practices and environmental degradation in Viet Nam. Burrowing deep inside the tension-filled relationship between contemporary Viet Nam’s hyper-capitalist society and its communist government, T Duy Anh’s The Termite Queen tells the Kafkaesque story of a young man who must expose the corruption of a vast network of murky figures profiting from their connections to power. Banned in Viet Nam, this allegorical story is told by Viet, a native-born Vietnamese who takes over his deceased father’s powerful land development corporation.

The funeral hasn’t even concluded before Viet suspects foul play, as one clue after another leads him to question everything he thought he knew about his father, their family business, and its incredible ability to get approval for projects with dubious societal and environmental returns. With The Termite Queen, T Duy Anh cements his reputation as one of contemporary Viet Nam’s greatest fabulists, having filled this tale with criticisms that can only come from a deep and abiding love for his country.