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daniela_is_reading's review
4.0
📚 All That's Left Unsaid by Tracey Lien
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Post Vietnam war, a young Ky Tran and her family immigrate to Australia. They settle in the Sydney suburb of Cabramatta. A suburb notorious in the 80's and 90's for its gang related violence and crimes.
Ky is a conscious student, determined to do well and prove she is a 'somebody'. We watch her navigate family life, cultural traditions, societal expectations and friendships, and all the while attempting to conform and fit in with her Australian peers and lifestyle.
Fast forward to 1996 and Ky's 17 year old brother is gruesomely murdered in a local restaurant. There's plenty of witnesses, yet they all claim to have seen nothing. Ky, now in her early 20's, is determined to find answers and justice for her brother. In doing so, she learns not only more of those around her but also, herself. She reflects on past and present mistakes and regrets, and we see what it looks like to love and hate, hurt and forgive, all in a single moment.
A novel of the life of a refugee.
It's thought provoking and confronting but worth it. Definately my kind of book.
.
Post Vietnam war, a young Ky Tran and her family immigrate to Australia. They settle in the Sydney suburb of Cabramatta. A suburb notorious in the 80's and 90's for its gang related violence and crimes.
Ky is a conscious student, determined to do well and prove she is a 'somebody'. We watch her navigate family life, cultural traditions, societal expectations and friendships, and all the while attempting to conform and fit in with her Australian peers and lifestyle.
Fast forward to 1996 and Ky's 17 year old brother is gruesomely murdered in a local restaurant. There's plenty of witnesses, yet they all claim to have seen nothing. Ky, now in her early 20's, is determined to find answers and justice for her brother. In doing so, she learns not only more of those around her but also, herself. She reflects on past and present mistakes and regrets, and we see what it looks like to love and hate, hurt and forgive, all in a single moment.
A novel of the life of a refugee.
It's thought provoking and confronting but worth it. Definately my kind of book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Racial slurs, Alcoholism, Physical abuse, Violence, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Racism, Toxic relationship, and Grief
michelles_book_nook's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
⚠️ TW: murder, grief, racism, xenophobia, alcoholism, drug abuse, addiction, misogyny, sexism, fatphobia, gang violence, overdose, domestic violence and brief mentions of child abuse ⚠️ Wow, this was a hugely challenging, dark and emotional read that gave such a vivid portrayal of life as a Vietnamese refugee in Sydney in the 90's. This book follows the Tran family as they journey through their grief left following the brutal murder of their son and brother, Denny, whilst also searching for answers as to what happened on that fateful night. Denny was simply out celebrating his high school graduation with friends at a busy restaurant in the Sydney suburb of Cabramatta, a refugee enclave facing violent crime, an indifferent police force and the worst heroin epidemic in Australian history, when he never made it home. Moving forward to his funeral his sister, Ky, discovers that the police are stumped by her brother's case and that despite a list of people being present that night everyone claims to have seen nothing and they are all staying silent. She then decides to track down the witnesses herself in a quest to learn what truly happened. And as she peels back the layers of the place that shaped her she confronts the complex traumas weighing on those present that night and learns that their silence began well before her brother's murder and so much has been left unsaid about colonialism, the war in Vietnam and the choices everyone made to survive. This book is such a hard hitting read and even though it is fiction with aspects that are based on real life it just absolutely left me speechless. It is beautifully written, compelling, harrowing and so poignant. Overall, I cannot recommend this book enough!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Xenophobia, Addiction, Murder, Misogyny, Domestic abuse, Death, Fatphobia, Violence, Grief, Drug use, Drug abuse, Sexism, and Racism
Moderate: Alcoholism
Minor: Child abuse
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