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internationalreads's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This was.. fine? It felt like a book written to teach Americans about the Vietnam war rather than to tell a story set in that time. Disappointing after loving The Mountains Sing so much.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Violence, Vomit, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Pregnancy, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Alcoholism, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Rape, War, Sexual assault, Xenophobia, Death, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Racism, Self harm, Sexism, and Sexual content
tahsintries's review
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Rape, Racial slurs, and Racism
Moderate: Bullying, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Abandonment, Hate crime, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Infidelity
mondovertigo's review
dark
emotional
sad
fast-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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Violence, Trafficking, Racism, Sexual assault, Misogyny, Sexual violence, Infidelity, Abandonment, Death, Racial slurs, Rape, and Classism
Moderate: Pregnancy
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Abortion, Car accident, and Vomit
serendipitysbooks's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Dust Child is a fabulous blend of historical and contemporary fiction set in Viêt Nam. In 1969-1970 we follow Trang and her sister who travel to Sāi Gōn and work as bar girls in order to help their family out of a financial predicament. In 2016 we meet Dan, an American veteran of the war who travels to Viêt Nam with his wife Linda in the hopes the trip will help him overcome his PTSD. Unbeknown to her he is also looking for his lost love and their child. We also meet Phong, a Black Amerasian man, who is trying to obtain a visa to move his family to the United States.
I love the compassion with the which this story was told and the way it highlighted many victims of the war. Not just the American soldiers who saw and did things they were in no way prepared for, and whom western readers will be familiar with, but also the Vietnamese women forced into sex work and/or abused and assaulted by traumatised soldiers, and their biracial children, often unwanted by their mothers and/ or abandoned by their American fathers, with many forced to grow up on the streets, ostracised by Vietnamese society and facing discrimination and prejudice decades later. I appreciated the way the author didn’t excuse the behaviour of Dan or other American soldiers, but did put their actions in context. I also really appreciated the way Phong was not a victim of the circumstances of his birth. He’s a fully rounded character with a loving family, a love for music, a talent for carpentry and a meaningful life. Early on I was a little worried that the plot stands were going to tie up too neatly and conveniently. I needn’t have worried. The ending is certainly satisfying but it wasn’t an unrealistic fairytale ending, not every question was answered, and the author managed to throw in an unexpected yet believable twist. This is a beautifully told story, true to Vietnamese culture and experience. It highlights the experience of biracial Amerasians born as a result of the war, including the discrimination they faced from both sides and the difficulties of parents and their children reuniting, even when both parties were willing. That it is based on aspects of many real life stories the author was told as part of her work towards a PhD adds to both its authenticity and poignancy.
I love the compassion with the which this story was told and the way it highlighted many victims of the war. Not just the American soldiers who saw and did things they were in no way prepared for, and whom western readers will be familiar with, but also the Vietnamese women forced into sex work and/or abused and assaulted by traumatised soldiers, and their biracial children, often unwanted by their mothers and/ or abandoned by their American fathers, with many forced to grow up on the streets, ostracised by Vietnamese society and facing discrimination and prejudice decades later. I appreciated the way the author didn’t excuse the behaviour of Dan or other American soldiers, but did put their actions in context. I also really appreciated the way Phong was not a victim of the circumstances of his birth. He’s a fully rounded character with a loving family, a love for music, a talent for carpentry and a meaningful life. Early on I was a little worried that the plot stands were going to tie up too neatly and conveniently. I needn’t have worried. The ending is certainly satisfying but it wasn’t an unrealistic fairytale ending, not every question was answered, and the author managed to throw in an unexpected yet believable twist. This is a beautifully told story, true to Vietnamese culture and experience. It highlights the experience of biracial Amerasians born as a result of the war, including the discrimination they faced from both sides and the difficulties of parents and their children reuniting, even when both parties were willing. That it is based on aspects of many real life stories the author was told as part of her work towards a PhD adds to both its authenticity and poignancy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Racism, and War
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders and Sexual assault
Minor: Self harm
annie26's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Nguyen Phan Que Mai can be relied on to weave a complex, emotional and powerful story. And she’s done it again with this book.
It explores interconnected issues and dynamics so well all the while giving you an important piece of Vietnamese history. I think Trang and Phong were my favourite characters but I appreciated the other characters in this story as well.
The plight of Amerasians in Vietnam is a topic that I’ve only heard discussed a few times. What a perspective.
This is a heartbreaking but very hopeful story. 4.5 stars from me. Thank you to Oneworld for my proof copy.
It explores interconnected issues and dynamics so well all the while giving you an important piece of Vietnamese history. I think Trang and Phong were my favourite characters but I appreciated the other characters in this story as well.
The plight of Amerasians in Vietnam is a topic that I’ve only heard discussed a few times. What a perspective.
This is a heartbreaking but very hopeful story. 4.5 stars from me. Thank you to Oneworld for my proof copy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Sexism, Abandonment, Death of parent, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual violence, War, Alcoholism, and Bullying
raineachreads's review
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
tense
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
4.5
‘Dust Child’ is a novel that examines the trauma of the Vietnam War both in the immediate but also in the long lasting ripple effects of those directly involved as well as their families and wider communities. Divided into three main story lines of a young girl who finds herself working in a bar during the war where she falls in love with an American soldier, a boy growing up as an orphan who is outcast due to having an American father and Vietnamese mother and a veteran returning to the country decades after fighting there. While the subject matter is heavy and doesn’t shy away from the realities of trauma and the different ways this is experienced and lived out, the book remains highly readable and engaging.
Without giving away spoilers I loved how the author led the reader to believe they had worked out the conclusion only to weave the strands together to reveal something different. While trauma is without a doubt the main theme (the author has an academic background in this subject connected to the Vietnam War so does this extremely sensitivity and authentically)there are many sub- themes going on too. I don’t think you can end this book without thinking about morality, the importance of family and the messy realities of truth. While lies may be told or facts left out to try not to cause someone harm, in the long term this can have more far reaching painful consequences. What this book also did really well was to combine languages together, bringing another dimension again to the story.
This is a book that will stay with me and continue to make me think in the days to come.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War
Moderate: Abandonment, Death, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Minor: Death of parent, Infertility, and Alcohol
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
noladawnreads's review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
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: Abandonment, Death, Violence, and War
Moderate: Child death and Rape
bookedbymadeline's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
fast-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? It's complicated
5.0
Thank you to Netgalley and Oneworld for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!
I was pulled in right away! I didn’t want to put it down but also wanted to slow down so could savor the story. Beautiful writing once again from the author (I read and loved her debut last year). I’m a sucker for multiple timelines and POVs so this did not disappoint!
I also really liked the complex characters and their relationships. I learned a lot about pieces of history during/following the Vietnam War, which I always enjoy learning something new!
I was pulled in right away! I didn’t want to put it down but also wanted to slow down so could savor the story. Beautiful writing once again from the author (I read and loved her debut last year). I’m a sucker for multiple timelines and POVs so this did not disappoint!
I also really liked the complex characters and their relationships. I learned a lot about pieces of history during/following the Vietnam War, which I always enjoy learning something new!
If you read this, grab tissues for last 25% 😭 I sobbed and was a wreck for the rest of the night and following day. This was a very hopeful and emotional read.
Fantastic novel that I loved even more than her debut! Will 100% be my favorite for the month and Que Mai is officially an auto buy author 💗
If my last read, Cecily, didn’t already have me in a mini slump I’m definitely in one now 😳 WHAT BOOK CAN FOLLOW THIS?! (This will also be my next “book to push into everyone’s hands”/go to recommendation)
If my last read, Cecily, didn’t already have me in a mini slump I’m definitely in one now 😳 WHAT BOOK CAN FOLLOW THIS?! (This will also be my next “book to push into everyone’s hands”/go to recommendation)
TW/CW: racism, war, infertility (brief mention), PTSD, sexual content, death, grief, sexual assault, infidelity, racial slurs, alcoholism, violence, emotional abuse, vomit (brief), abandonment, pregnancy, Alzheimer’s (brief), child death, self harm (brief)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Abandonment, Sexual content, Violence, Death, Alcoholism, Racism, Racial slurs, War, and Grief
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, and Child death
Minor: Infertility, Self harm, Dementia, and Vomit
readthemol's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
✨Dust Child✨
Wow, oh wow, Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai is an incredible storyteller. The Mountains Sing quickly became a favorite of mine when I read it last year, and Dust Child will absolutely be a favorite of mine this year!
Dust Child seamlessly intertwines the stories of Trang and Quỳnh (sisters who become bar girls in Sài Gòn during the Vietnam war), Dan (an American veteran who returns to Vietnam with his wife nearly 40 years after the war), and Phong (an Amerasian, who is trying to find his parents after being left at an orphanage as a baby).
I devoured this story - I couldn’t read fast enough, yet didn’t want it to end! The characters felt so real - their stories will stick with me for a long time. I didn’t know about the tens of thousands of Amerasians (one American parent, one Vietnamese parent) that were born out of the war and how horribly they were treated, being referred to as “children of the dust” and completely ostracized. Similar to The Mountains Sing, Dust Child opened my eyes to so much of the pain, fear, and trauma the Vietnamese (women especially) experienced during and after the Vietnam War. It was powerful the way Quế Mai portrayed the trauma of the war from both sides - she really encapsulated what the poet Nguyen Duy wrote: “At the end of each war, whoever wins, the people lose.” This year marks fifty years since the U.S. pulled out of Vietnam, yet there’s so much still to learn.
While used in a different context in the story, this quote felt very relevant to America right now: “Those in power feared free minds, and nothing unlocked thinking like literature.”
Dust Child is out tomorrow (3/14) and I highly, highly recommend picking up a copy! Thank you @nguyen & @algonquin for the eARC of Dust Child ❤️ I can’t wait to grab a physical copy for my collection!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Pregnancy, Antisemitism, Abandonment, Blood, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Vomit, and War