Vietnam legacy in a book

A fascination with the 60s and the Vietnam War was the starting point for a novel written by Foxton-born author Carole Brungar.

Brungar’s novel The Nam Legacy is a love story combining themes of rural New Zealand, the war, and something Brungar feels needs to be openly discussed – post-traumatic stress disorder.

‘‘While researching for The Nam Legacy I discovered there are a lot of veterans suffering with post-traumatic stress disorder and that many of the soldiers struggle daily with the inability to hold down a job, concentrate and cope with depression.’’

Some had their struggles minimised, with their symptoms regarded as imaginary or insignificant.

‘‘I feel we need to talk about this more and this is why PTSD is a significant part of [central character] Jack’s journey.’’

The Nam Legacy took a year to write and Brungar’s research included a trip to Vietnam to see for herself where her characters were stationed, ‘‘get a taste of the food, the people, the heat and to follow in the footsteps of the New Zealand soldiers’’.

‘‘To experience firsthand the distances between the places I had mentioned in the story was invaluable, as was trying out the weapons used by my characters in the book and crawling through the tunnels.’’

Brungar won the international Romance Writers of America California Dreamin’ Hooker Competition for the best opening hook with the first chapter of The Nam Legacy.

The bookwas launched on Wednesday at Te Takere in Levin.

It will be available at Paper Plus.