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mirandyli's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Graphic: Colonisation, Car accident, Torture, Toxic relationship, Death, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Religious bigotry, Classism, Bullying, Death of parent, Racism, War, Xenophobia, Abandonment, Grief, and Racial slurs
maevebm's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: War and Xenophobia
Moderate: Death of parent, Bullying, Car accident, Grief, and Homophobia
racostacos's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Graphic: Gun violence, Domestic abuse, Racial slurs, Physical abuse, Homophobia, Emotional abuse, Bullying, War, Racism, and Death of parent
jazhandz's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Bullying, Grief, and Racism
Minor: Homophobia
Slurs used a couple times throughoutjust_one_more_paige's review
- 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? It's complicated
3.0
Graphic: Bullying, Car accident, Grief, Religious bigotry, and Xenophobia
Moderate: War, Homophobia, Alcohol, Death, and Violence
jayisreading's review
4.5
The writing in Things We Lost to the Water is absolutely gorgeous, with stunning imagery and lyricism. Language is especially powerful in this novel, as Nguyen weaves Vietnamese and English together that adds to an already lush story, showing the intimacy of Vietnamese within the family and community; it’s a way to carry their heritage, similarly to many other immigrant families.
I would have loved if this book was a little longer, especially because the second half of the book—especially the final chapter—felt a bit rushed. Despite this, it was still a powerful read. I really look forward to future works by Nguyen.
Graphic: Bullying and Grief
Moderate: Death of parent, Homophobia, Racial slurs, Racism, and Torture
Minor: War
k_meredith's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: War, Racial slurs, and Death
Moderate: Homophobia and Xenophobia
Minor: Bullying and Panic attacks/disorders
afiya_a's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Minor: Bullying, Homophobia, Torture, and War
deedireads's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
TL;DR REVIEW:
Things We Lost to the Water is a beautiful novel with excellent writing and full characters., about the post-war Vietnamese immigrant experience. I liked it a lot.
For you if: You like multi-POV literary novels.
FULL REVIEW:
Big thanks to Knopf for granting me a review copy of this book via NetGalley! It was beautiful. I really liked it.
Things We Lost to the Water follows three characters: Huong, who fled Vietnam during the war and came to New Orleans, and her two sons, Tuan and Binh (Ben). We follow their lives over the course of years, from right after Huong arrived in 1978 to Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Looming behind everything is Huong’s husband and the boys’ father (or perhaps the idea of him), who was supposed to join them in the US. What follows is a story of heartbreak, growth, hope, memory, family, coming of age, and home.
There’s no denying that Eric Nguyen is an excellent, beautiful writer. There were two chapters in particular — one about halfway through and the other at the very end — that took my breath away. They spin around and around, dizzying, suspenseful, and rich with emotion. And the characters in this novel are gorgeous, full and endearing; you root for all of them. I did enjoy the first half of the book better than the second half (which jumps forward in time much more quickly), but the ending chapter was more than worth it. I’ll be watching for what Nguyen writes next, for sure.
CONTENT WARNINGS:
Anti-Asian racism and racist slurs; Bullying; War violence and torture (off screen); Homophobia
Graphic: Bullying
Moderate: Racism, Racial slurs, and Homophobia
Minor: Torture