A review by menomica
The Mountains Sing by Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai

adventurous dark informative sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

This book is so eye-opening. I learned a lot about the Vietnam War and Vietnam in general. The book is constant tension and tragedy; You see on the ground how people were affected by the events of the war. It’s definitely not for everyone, it’s very dense and at times it drags, and the writing can be a bit stilted, but if you can sit down and allow yourself to feel the emotions of the Tram family, it’s very much worth it

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Colonisation, Death, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Gore, Grief, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Violence

Moderate: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Gun violence, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Rape, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Torture, and Violence

Minor: Abortion, Cancer, Miscarriage, and Slavery