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A review by low_keybookish
Dust Child by Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
I have been SO excited for Dust Child to be released, and so thankful to have ready an early copy. Dust Child is a multiple POV story of different characters who are affected by the Vietnam War. The story focuses a lot on the experiences of Amerasian children who are mixed race and born of Vietnamese women and US military men. As the author describes in her author's note, these mixed race people experience a lot of discrimination and challenges and so she wanted to highlight what they went through.
I love multiple POV, especially when it's so clearly written. Sometimes I get confused by other books when there are too many characters--in Dust Child, each POV is distinct and could be their own book. The way the characters come together is also satisfying for the plot, but also in raising questions on reconciliation, the legacies of militarization and war, and racial economic disparities in impossible situations.
The story also goes back and forth in time (during the Vietnam War, and up to 2019), which helps to highlight the author's goal of trying to show that the effects of the Vietnam War continue to today. Anyone who was involved with the war walked away scared, and the book shows lingering mental and physical health issues for the characters. The author has some poignant moments that call out the white savior complex, especially through Mr. Thien, and it's so satisfying that the Vietnamese characters have agency and are whole persons. (I'm done with stories that show war in such a one-sided viewpoint that only glorifies the U.S.).
The book covers a lot of topics and cw as expected: rape, violence, murder, death, PTSD, war, chemical warfare, racism, etc. Though not a light hearted read, highly recommend this book--it's an important read esp in the contemporary context of ongoing warfare.
I love multiple POV, especially when it's so clearly written. Sometimes I get confused by other books when there are too many characters--in Dust Child, each POV is distinct and could be their own book. The way the characters come together is also satisfying for the plot, but also in raising questions on reconciliation, the legacies of militarization and war, and racial economic disparities in impossible situations.
The story also goes back and forth in time (during the Vietnam War, and up to 2019), which helps to highlight the author's goal of trying to show that the effects of the Vietnam War continue to today. Anyone who was involved with the war walked away scared, and the book shows lingering mental and physical health issues for the characters. The author has some poignant moments that call out the white savior complex, especially through Mr. Thien, and it's so satisfying that the Vietnamese characters have agency and are whole persons. (I'm done with stories that show war in such a one-sided viewpoint that only glorifies the U.S.).
The book covers a lot of topics and cw as expected: rape, violence, murder, death, PTSD, war, chemical warfare, racism, etc. Though not a light hearted read, highly recommend this book--it's an important read esp in the contemporary context of ongoing warfare.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Racism, War, and Child death
Moderate: Rape