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temporarilyhuman's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Blood, Grief, Cannibalism, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, and Outing
mariebrunelm's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
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? Yes
4.5
This is a beautiful, sensitive, gentle and raw tale of belonging, growing and coming out. Tiến was born in the USA from a Vietnamese mother, and he's always switched between the different languages, coming up with a personal mixture of both when talking with his mother. When the time comes to come out to her, he wishes he knew the word for gay in Vietnamese, and so he turns to the book of fairy tales they've been reading together.
This graphic novel blends beautifully the American and Vietnamese visual identities, gracing characters from The Little Mermaid with traditional clothing, or Cinderella with haute-couture-inspired gowns. The limited colour palette, working in monochromes of red, blue and yellow, ties together each of the interweaving storylines effortlessly. Seeing Tiến interact with his classmates was especially endearing as they're very mindful and loving.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Grief, Religious bigotry, and Murder
Minor: Death, Blood, and Cannibalism
hoiyan's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
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? No
5.0
okay i'm very emotional right now so get ready for a very emotional 2 am word barf.
just wow. absolutely beautiful and moving and i'm definitely not crying (i am). let me explain:
Tien, a young Vietnamese boy struggling to come out to his Vietnamese immigrant mother, but that isn't the entire premise of this story. Trung Le Nguyen explores how different languages and cultures intertwine within different generations in a single family. Tien's mother, Helen, struggles with English, while her son easily reads and writes in English, even conversing and reading out loud to help her practice.
just wow. absolutely beautiful and moving and i'm definitely not crying (i am). let me explain:
Tien, a young Vietnamese boy struggling to come out to his Vietnamese immigrant mother, but that isn't the entire premise of this story. Trung Le Nguyen explores how different languages and cultures intertwine within different generations in a single family. Tien's mother, Helen, struggles with English, while her son easily reads and writes in English, even conversing and reading out loud to help her practice.
"To me, language is a map to help you figure out where you are. If you can't read the map, you're lost.
"I wonder if I'll ever find my way home."
seeing something i can relate a little too much illustrated and beautifully portrayed made me an emotional mess. as the child of a sino-viet immigrant mother, i saw myself in Tien. i saw how my complicated and unique take on languages were reflected in Tien and Helen's situation. i teared up one too many times.
not only does Nguyen explore the complexity of languages in the relationship of an immigrant parent and their English-speaking child, he also weaves in parallels of Helen's memories with the stories being read out loud by Tien. it was just so beautiful and heartbreaking to see the scene of Helen's future (Tien) reading out a story that directly reflects Helen's past traumas. i really appreciated Nguyen touching on bits of pre-war and post-colonial Vietnam, however vague it was portrayed.
"Don't forget me.
"Do not—
"forget."
i also loved the details in traditional clothing of Vietnam, China, and historical European clothes worn by the fictional characters in Tien's stories.
so much culture and history is embedded in the fictional stories and represented through clothing which i really loved to see. Nguyen's notes at the end really added so many more layers to reveal and dig deeper into.
"Joy is a precious thing. And precious things are few.
"So we learn to hold on to them.
"We keep them close."
can we talk about this being a non-tragic gay story? wow. i went into this expecting to feel completely crushed and be in a pit of despair but i am so glad this graphic novel went in the direction it did. i loved the hopeful ending, especially considering Tien's very asian background. this hurt me a little too much when i looked back on my own family and culture's views on the lgbtq+ community. seeing Tien and his mother's relationship (especially towards the end) tugged my heart and made me wish i could experience that sort of unconditional love and support.
i appreciated how there was an emphasis on Tien's friends and their support. i loved how it showed how important this support system is during times of self-doubt and grief.
though this is for a younger audience, i found so much comfort and relief in this? it was a nice, short read, but sosososo worth it. it's so important and healing to see writers and artists that are just like you, especially at a young age. it's so important that these voices are heard and seen and amplified so all the kids struggling out there can be heard and seen.
the art and flow of the stories were just stunning and absolutely beautiful. i cannot stress that enough. please give this a read. it hurt and healed me so deeply and i will be grabbing my own physical copy of this asap.
if you've read The Prince and the Dressmaker, i guarantee you will love this as well. and vice versa, if you loved this just as much as i did, go check out The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang.
my heart is so full right now.
"So they lived on, together. And they were happy."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia and Grief
Moderate: Death and Religious bigotry
Minor: Animal death, Violence, Blood, and Cannibalism
armontheroad's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
A stunning graphic novel that ripped out my heart!! I would love to read more volumes with these characters. The art was beautiful! The use of color to show when we were in the present day, the past, and following stories from fairytales was a brilliant decision. I read this in one sitting with a box of tissues at the ready. Everyone should read this!!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Blood, Grief, and Murder
Minor: Hate crime
krys_kilz's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
I love how Trung Le Nguyen blended fairy tales, the present, and flashbacks to the past into a magical narrative about family, friendship, and creating shared language across difference. It is so creative and deeply personal as the Author's Notes at the end of the book details. I can tell that so much thought and emotion went into these pages and the story is all the richer for it.
The artwork is breathtaking and the use of color palette to indicate shifts in narrative is genius. The thread throughout of change and stories shifting with storyteller, place, context, and culture was also very powerful - especially the end of the book where Helen changes the ending to The Little Mermaid to show her love and support for her queer son.
I look forward to seeing whatever Trung Le Nguyen publishes next.
The artwork is breathtaking and the use of color palette to indicate shifts in narrative is genius. The thread throughout of change and stories shifting with storyteller, place, context, and culture was also very powerful - especially the end of the book where Helen changes the ending to The Little Mermaid to show her love and support for her queer son.
I look forward to seeing whatever Trung Le Nguyen publishes next.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Homophobia, and Grief
Moderate: Religious bigotry
Minor: Blood
kalira's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia, Blood, Grief, Murder, and War
nrogers_1030's review
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
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? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Homophobia
starstruk99's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Gore, Homophobia, Blood, and Death of parent
lilmor's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Cannibalism
Moderate: Animal death, Child death, Homophobia, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, and Outing
lady_moon's review
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Homophobia, and Grief
Moderate: Blood and Cannibalism
Minor: Death, Death of parent, and War