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mothreadsbookssometimes 's review for:
Becoming Ghost: Poetry
by Cathy Linh Che
(Published April 29, 2025)
Thank you NetGalley and Washington Square Press for the ARC!
Becoming Ghost is a poetry collection discussing the author’s parents’ experiences as refugees from the Vietnam War.
I’ll be honest, this was a collection that I just didn’t understand. I was confused and lost through most of the book. It wasn’t a bad book, it just wasn’t for me.
For starters, I didn’t have context for approximately 80% of the book. I don’t know anything about Che or her family, apart from the information given in this book. And I’ve never seen Apocalypse Now, which is referenced several times throughout the collection (Che’s parents were extras in the film).
In addition, the POV changes between Che and her parents with reckless abandon and no indication of a POV change, so I was usually halfway through a poem before I figured out who was narrating (and there were times I didn’t even know who was narrating).
But I did enjoy the perspective of Che writing from the POV of her (estranged) parents. It was an interesting way to tell the story. Che also pointed out some interesting parallels between the Vietnam War and the Palestinian genocide as well as the COVID-19 pandemic.
This collection will be perfect for some readers. Unfortunately, it was not for me.
CW: child abuse (physical & emotional); PTSD; Vietnam War; genocide; child death; racism
Thank you NetGalley and Washington Square Press for the ARC!
Becoming Ghost is a poetry collection discussing the author’s parents’ experiences as refugees from the Vietnam War.
I’ll be honest, this was a collection that I just didn’t understand. I was confused and lost through most of the book. It wasn’t a bad book, it just wasn’t for me.
For starters, I didn’t have context for approximately 80% of the book. I don’t know anything about Che or her family, apart from the information given in this book. And I’ve never seen Apocalypse Now, which is referenced several times throughout the collection (Che’s parents were extras in the film).
In addition, the POV changes between Che and her parents with reckless abandon and no indication of a POV change, so I was usually halfway through a poem before I figured out who was narrating (and there were times I didn’t even know who was narrating).
But I did enjoy the perspective of Che writing from the POV of her (estranged) parents. It was an interesting way to tell the story. Che also pointed out some interesting parallels between the Vietnam War and the Palestinian genocide as well as the COVID-19 pandemic.
This collection will be perfect for some readers. Unfortunately, it was not for me.
CW: child abuse (physical & emotional); PTSD; Vietnam War; genocide; child death; racism
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, War
Moderate: Child death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Racism
Minor: Xenophobia