Reviews

4.5 stars. What a beautifully written book, a novel that reads like a memoir, in the form of a letter to the narrator’s mother. Vuong is a true poet, has such an amazing way with words and this, combined with many elements from his childhood and coming-of-age made for a truly memorable, though often heartbreaking read.

The Vietnamese narrator, known as Little Dog, grew up in Hartland, Connecticut, with his mother, Rose and grandmother, Lan. In his address to his mother, we learn how hard it was for him growing up, how underprivileged he was in so many respects. It was harder still for his mother, who spoke only very broken English, didn’t read at all and worked in a nail salon to earn what little money they had. We hear of beatings by his mother, who was obviously very lonely, frustrated and even more of an outsider than her son due to not being proficient in English.

I loved the descriptions of Vietnamese traditions and language although the book is set in the US and describes the immigrant experience. The narrator, for example, often called “Little Dog”, is so called to protect him, as in Vietnam, the most vulnerable ones were given such names so that the predators, on hearing “Little Dog”, would move on disinterested: “to love something is to name it after something so worthless that it might be left untouched-and survive”. Lan, his grandma, is self-named, to mean “Lilly”, as her only other name was Seven, named for her order of birth.

As well as the relationship between mother and son, which is the heart of this novel, we also see the author’s relationship with Trevor, an intense and very physical relationship, and the author’s exploration of this is excellently done. Layers of cultures and subcultures are peeled away in describing the pull of these polar opposite characters, and their eventual separation.

Poetry or poetic prose is the medium of this novel, each word very deliberately chosen, words often analysed and played with to explore their possibilities, eg Laughter trapped inside Slaughter. The author’s huge strength is his descriptive precision. So many scenes are brought to life here, a sensuous approach offering a near total experience to the reader and really evoking the overall atmosphere.

What I loved is that despite all that Little Dog endured, he still held on for joy, be it only fleeting joy. The Hartland greeting “What’s Good?” is the very literal iteration of the seeker of joy. Some observations were breathtakingly beautiful, like those of children in a nearby garden, playing with their dad: “They were little bells struck to singing by air itself”.