Our Hours Are Married to Shadow

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’s debut collection wrestles with the terror of vulnerability, the limits of devotion, and the dark joy of self-destruction.

Publication date: December 8, 2026

Format: Trade Paperback

Dimensions: 5x8

Page Count: 60

ISBN: 9781566897723

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.

“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