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roshk99's review against another edition
2.0
Not that enjoyable. There wasn't really a single redeeming character, and I didn't really get invested in anyone's outcome. The only interesting part was the view of the Vietnamese underworld and the motivations of the people coming from Vietnam.
kimrosswrites's review
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Vu Tran has written two compelling narratives, from the POV of two characters with completely different voices. They were married once and yet hardly know each other. Hong, or Suzy, as her husband calls her, is a Vietnamese immigrant, writing letters to the daughter she abandoned, hoping that telling her daughter her story, the daughter might understand and forgive her. Robert, her husband, is an LA cop who wants to find Suzy and save her, even though it means putting himself in increasingly dangerous situations, even though Suzy abandoned him, too.
readerrabbit23's review against another edition
4.0
When I first started reading, I didn't particularly care for Robert or the writing style. That didn't really change throughout the book, but what did change was me wanting to know what happened next, and feeling sucked in by trying to piece together the parts of Hong's life, and the ways that Hong and Sonny were intertwined. It's why I ultimately gave the book four stars, because the excerpts from Hong's letter really moved me, as did this larger exploration of the past, what it means to be a refugee and to love and long for a home you can't quite return to because it's not particularly welcoming, and the things that haunt you.
I think what I like a lot about this book, and why I think it's good - beyond it being a good thriller that hooks you - is that there's so much to unpack. To unpack, for example, way this white man Robert thinks he knows things about Vietnam because he married a Vietnamese wife who he called by an American name she used with nobody else but him. Or to look at how hard motherhood is and what having a child thrusts upon us. How war and being a refugee constrains people, and how we live with and are influenced by our traumas.
I think what I like a lot about this book, and why I think it's good - beyond it being a good thriller that hooks you - is that there's so much to unpack. To unpack, for example, way this white man Robert thinks he knows things about Vietnam because he married a Vietnamese wife who he called by an American name she used with nobody else but him. Or to look at how hard motherhood is and what having a child thrusts upon us. How war and being a refugee constrains people, and how we live with and are influenced by our traumas.
brighteyed's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
fun myster/thriller book, very dark and somewhat depressing. i was put off by the writing (felt a little contrived) and the ways they treated rape and violence in the book.
the main character was intensely annoying and a white man in a book otherwise focusing on viet refugees in america, which was an interesting perspective to take, and i think was well done in indicting him while still playing him as the protagonist.
it doesn’t offer like… any closure, which i actually enjoyed in terms of the plot.
i really enjoyed a lot of the characters, especially junior, victor, suzy, and happy. these characters who were placed in between the (identical) protagonist and antagonist were really fun to learn about.
i would say this is a cut above the average mystery/noir novel, but i admittedly don’t read a lot of this genre.
the main character was intensely annoying and a white man in a book otherwise focusing on viet refugees in america, which was an interesting perspective to take, and i think was well done in indicting him while still playing him as the protagonist.
it doesn’t offer like… any closure, which i actually enjoyed in terms of the plot.
i really enjoyed a lot of the characters, especially junior, victor, suzy, and happy. these characters who were placed in between the (identical) protagonist and antagonist were really fun to learn about.
i would say this is a cut above the average mystery/noir novel, but i admittedly don’t read a lot of this genre.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Torture, Toxic relationship, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail
jessicah95's review against another edition
Not sure if the protagonist is supposed to come across as a hateful sexist and we're meant to dislike him, or if the author has written a misogynistic wanker and isn't aware of it. Read over 50 pages and wasn't intrigued enough to find this out. Here are a few quotes that made me mad:
'I found I loved her most when she was sick and had no choice but to let me take care of her...keep her housebound'
'Her real name was Hong... But it sounded a bit piggish the way Americans pronounced it, so I suggested the name of my first girlfriend in high school, and this she did give me'
'Then we'd make love and she would whimper, a childlike thing a lot of Asian women do, except hers sounded more like a wounded animal's'
At one point he also slaps his wife twice, then punches her in the mouth and then says 'She'd never been as tough as I thought, and now I was the bad guy.' - Yes you are, asswipe.
And all this just 50 pages in. What a treat, right?
The writing isn't anything special either, and clearly the characters aren't enough to keep me reading, so I'm sorry Vu Tran. If you aren't a misogynist and just enjoy crafting horrid male characters, I apologise!
'I found I loved her most when she was sick and had no choice but to let me take care of her...keep her housebound'
'Her real name was Hong... But it sounded a bit piggish the way Americans pronounced it, so I suggested the name of my first girlfriend in high school, and this she did give me'
'Then we'd make love and she would whimper, a childlike thing a lot of Asian women do, except hers sounded more like a wounded animal's'
At one point he also slaps his wife twice, then punches her in the mouth and then says 'She'd never been as tough as I thought, and now I was the bad guy.' - Yes you are, asswipe.
And all this just 50 pages in. What a treat, right?
The writing isn't anything special either, and clearly the characters aren't enough to keep me reading, so I'm sorry Vu Tran. If you aren't a misogynist and just enjoy crafting horrid male characters, I apologise!
jaclynday's review against another edition
3.0
It sounds like a standard airport mystery, but Dragonfish surprised me with its depth and characterization. While I never quite got the answers I wanted, it was still satisfying: sad and more emotionally provocative than I could have predicted it would be.
jodyjsperling's review against another edition
4.0
The book loses its hard boiled tone after the first part, but that doesn’t matter. The story is exceptional and brave. I loved the unexpected end.
kitten's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
wildeaboutbooks's review against another edition
1.0
This was another required book from one of my reading challenges this year. It was slated to represent the mystery genre. I suppose this could be considered a mystery as I wondered where the plot was going the entire book, up until the very last word. And I guess an almost complete lack of resolution is a bit mysterious. The narrator of the audiobook did a decent job, but I will admit that I was counting down the minutes until it was over. I realize that I am biased in that I do not generally enjoy or seek out mysteries. However, I do not feel that this book was a good representation of the genre and, for people like me who tend to avoid mysteries anyway, it does not do much to entice me to pick up another.
nodogsonthemoon's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail