Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

Things We Lost to the Water by Eric Nguyen

7 reviews

mirandyli's review

emotional reflective sad 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? No

4.5

This was a beautifully written book. As I was reading it, I thought it was a memoir or an account of the author's life. However, while it is based on the author's mother's life, I was surprised to learn that the book is completely fictional. 

I was very surprised to learn that the author did not grow up in New Orleans. The depictions of New Orleans and the gulf coast were so accurate.  Mardi Gras, Catholic charities, Versailles, Chef Menteur, Grand Isle, Southern Decadence, Hurricane Katrina, eating cake at Gambino's, "there's nothing in the east or in Metairie," it's important to know how to swim in case the city sinks. One of the funniest moments in the book was when the mother thought, "What is wrong with this city?? What is wrong with these people??" Also: "Southern decadence is like gay Mardi Gras." "What’s more gay than Mardi Gras?"  "Southern Decadence." I laughed out loud.

There are multiple narratives, the sweetest being the younger brother's, who is coming to terms with his queerness. The older brother, who remembers his father, is more troubled at first, skipping school and joining a gang. The younger brother is less troubled at first, but still carries generational trauma. Both are inherently very loving and resilient. The journey to America through the water has followed them throughout their lives. The ending gave me chills (And depression. And PTSD).

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Content Warnings

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

emotional 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War and Xenophobia

Moderate: Death of parent, Bullying, Car accident, Grief, and Homophobia

racostacos's review

emotional 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? Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Domestic abuse, Racial slurs, Physical abuse, Homophobia, Emotional abuse, Bullying, War, Racism, and Death of parent

kayyphan's review against another edition

emotional

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Abandonment

Minor: Death, Car accident, Racism, Death of parent, and Racial slurs

jayisreading's review

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

4.5

This was a beautifully written book, and I was utterly captivated from beginning to end. Nguyen truly has a way with words as he constructs the world of New Orleans through the lens of a Vietnamese family that fled to the United States in the late 1970s. From then until August 2005, when Hurricane Katrina hit. Nguyen takes great care to make sure that the reader gets to know each family member, Hương, Tuấn, and Bình/Ben. The chapters were laid out in such a way that there was a good balance of each character’s point-of-view of the world around them, as well as their understanding of themselves.

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.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying and Grief

Moderate: Death of parent, Homophobia, Racial slurs, Racism, and Torture

Minor: War

literarylaila's review

adventurous dark mysterious 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Xenophobia, and Homophobia

kyrstin_p1989's review

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad 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? It's complicated

4.0

Beautifully sad story of the things we leave behind — both intentionally and out of necessity — when faced with trouble, trauma, and heartache. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief

Moderate: Car accident, Death of parent, Violence, Torture, Racial slurs, and Racism