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okiecozyreader's review
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
When I started this book, it began bringing me memories of her last book, The Mountains Sing. Although this book is a completely different story, with different characters, Nguyén Phan Qué Mai uses proverbs in this one (like the last) and continues her beautiful lyrical writing along with deep and painful family memories. I really felt this story in its entirety. I haven’t read many books about Vietnamese people (just hers and middle grade Inside Out & Back Again by Thanhhà La, also beautifully written). I appreciate her stories which go into painful times, but I feel like she gives American people a lot of grace in her writing.
This book mainly features two sisters Trang and Quỳnh, who move to the city of Sài Gòn to be bar girls. They are told it is just drinking tea with American soldiers, but they find out that it isn’t that simple. They are trying to raise money to relieve their parents from debt and help their father with medical care. We mainly get the perspective from the oldest daughter Trang.
Meanwhile, we learn parts of two other stories, that of a Vietnamese man named Phong, who is part black American and called an Amerasian, dust of the earth, for being the product of a relationship born mostly out of prostitution; as well as that of Dan, a Vietnam veteran, who with his wife Linda, is returning to Vietnam for healing.
This isn’t an easy book to read, and for me, it falls into the category of something I don’t want to sit with for a long time, so I read it in a few days, but I cared so much for these characters, especially the sisters.
“Her parents had embedded their dreams and hopes in the names they’d given their daughters: Quỳnh was a rare flower that bloomed only at night—the night-blooming cereus; its white petals radiated a beautiful, pure scent. Trang meant “graceful, gentle, virtuous.” An Impossible Choice
“Dan recognized something unique about Sài Gòn that had survived the war: the charm of its people, their incredible energy and resourcefulness. In his nightmares, the city was war-torn, ravaged with violence like the day he’d left it.
…
Dan told himself he should print Linda’s photos from this trip and display them around the house. Perhaps the smiling child could replace his dreams of buffaloes and boys with their bodies ripped apart.” War and Peace
“What the poet Nguyễn Duy wrote is so true. At the end of each war, whoever wins, the people lose.” War and Peace
“The war doesn’t just kill people, it robs our livelihood and destroys nature.” How to be a Mother
“And do you know why I placed you under the protective branches of a Bodhi tree? It is said that a Bodhi tree has the power to chase away sorrow and bad luck” Sweetness and Bitterness
This book mainly features two sisters Trang and Quỳnh, who move to the city of Sài Gòn to be bar girls. They are told it is just drinking tea with American soldiers, but they find out that it isn’t that simple. They are trying to raise money to relieve their parents from debt and help their father with medical care. We mainly get the perspective from the oldest daughter Trang.
Meanwhile, we learn parts of two other stories, that of a Vietnamese man named Phong, who is part black American and called an Amerasian, dust of the earth, for being the product of a relationship born mostly out of prostitution; as well as that of Dan, a Vietnam veteran, who with his wife Linda, is returning to Vietnam for healing.
This isn’t an easy book to read, and for me, it falls into the category of something I don’t want to sit with for a long time, so I read it in a few days, but I cared so much for these characters, especially the sisters.
“Her parents had embedded their dreams and hopes in the names they’d given their daughters: Quỳnh was a rare flower that bloomed only at night—the night-blooming cereus; its white petals radiated a beautiful, pure scent. Trang meant “graceful, gentle, virtuous.” An Impossible Choice
“Dan recognized something unique about Sài Gòn that had survived the war: the charm of its people, their incredible energy and resourcefulness. In his nightmares, the city was war-torn, ravaged with violence like the day he’d left it.
…
Dan told himself he should print Linda’s photos from this trip and display them around the house. Perhaps the smiling child could replace his dreams of buffaloes and boys with their bodies ripped apart.” War and Peace
“What the poet Nguyễn Duy wrote is so true. At the end of each war, whoever wins, the people lose.” War and Peace
“The war doesn’t just kill people, it robs our livelihood and destroys nature.” How to be a Mother
“And do you know why I placed you under the protective branches of a Bodhi tree? It is said that a Bodhi tree has the power to chase away sorrow and bad luck” Sweetness and Bitterness
Content Warnings
Graphic: War
Moderate: Sexual violence, Death of parent, Sexual assault, Pregnancy, Alcohol, Abandonment, and Death
plottwisttravels's review against another edition
challenging
hopeful
informative
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent and War
Moderate: Rape
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