Our Hours Are Married To Shadow by Nghiem Tran - ISBN: 9781566897723
Paperback
Queer immigrants navigate trauma, love, and the shadows of their past.
Pre-Order

Our Hours Are Married To Shadow

$25.49

  • Paperback

    60 pages

  • Release Date

    8 December 2026

Check Delivery Options

Summary

A book-length poem about the tumultuous relationship between two queer Vietnamese immigrants.

When a young man undergoes electroconvulsive therapy to quiet memories of childhood abuse, he alienates himself from his partner, creating a volatile, at-times violent rift in their relationship. As the couple clashes over how best to address and cope with mental illness, they must confront the painful history that they have so desperately tried to escape.

Nghiem Tran…

Book Details

ISBN-13:9781566897723
ISBN-10:1566897726
Author:Nghiem Tran
Publisher:Coffee House Press
Imprint:Coffee House Press
Format:Paperback
Number of Pages:60
Release Date:8 December 2026
Dimensions:203mm x 127mm
What They're Saying

Critics Review

Praise for Our Hours Are Married to Shadow

“Nghiem Tran has penned a lyrical, moving poetry collection that I expect to dazzle readers as the sleeper hit of the year. I consumed it in a long guzzle, then went back to page one and started again, for it reads like a psychological action movie and a tender love story at once. And its mythic echoes will keep me rereading it for years to come.” –Mary Karr

Our Hours Are Married to Shadow reminds us that the aftermath of a trauma is never simple. Tran’s crystalline language–its beauty, concision, and cleanness–is a counterpoint to his characters’ psychologically complex and violent history, the bloody mess of intimacy, a love that can’t protect itself from the world’s knife.” –Jennifer Tseng, author of Thanks For Letting Us Know You Are Alive

“How can we escape our own shadows without leaving behind life? Without sacrificing love? This dilemma aches, churns, and finally erupts in Nghiem Tran’s unforgettable debut collection.” –Chen Chen, author of Your Emergency Contact Has Experienced an Emergency

Praise for Nghiem Tran

“Nghiem Tran is a powerful new voice.” –Dana Spiotta

About The Author

Nghiem Tran

Nghiem Tran was born in Vietnam and raised in Kansas. He received his BA from Vassar College and his MFA from Syracuse University. A Kundiman Fellow, his poetry has been published in The American Poetry Review, The Offing, Hyphen Magazine, and The Margins. His debut novella, We’re Safe When We’re Alone (Coffee House Press) was one of NPR’s Books We Love 2023. He lives in Santa Cruz, CA.

Returns

This item is eligible for free returns within 30 days of delivery. See our returns policy for further details.