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A review by dorouu
All That's Left Unsaid by Tracey Lien
4.0
The audiobook version was gold. The accents and pronunciations were just 100% and I'm so glad that they found a reader who knew what she was doing (Update: narrated by Aileen Huynh, Yen Nguyen, Amelia Nguyen).
The story follows Ky as she tries to find out what has happened to her younger brother, who was murdered in cold blood in the late 1990s. She goes home to Cabramatta, a town full of refugees and the worst heroin epidemic in Australia. When she goes to the police station for answers, she finds that the police aren't helpful and the community won't talk to them. In frustration she says to the police officer, "Your police force is 100% white in a town where most people are not. I'll just be talking to them. Like a member of the community." They end up agreeing to let her try and give her the notes detailing who she should talk to who was there at the restaurant the night that Denny was killed. And so Ky interviews her community and as she does, the author, Lien, shares each character's back story. Lien does a great job building up each person and through these people, explores the refugee community, racism, and generational trauma.
Tldr: it's an exploration of a community and not a mystery thriller
Quotes:
"...because what do the living do besides carry the dead?"
"Tell me, how exactly are the people you're sworn to protect at fault? And in what world is it appropriate or rational to conclude that they won't talk to you because they're dumb. Have you considered that maybe.. Oh, I don't know. You're fucking dumb?"
It's AAPI Heritage month still so give this a try ❤️
The story follows Ky as she tries to find out what has happened to her younger brother, who was murdered in cold blood in the late 1990s. She goes home to Cabramatta, a town full of refugees and the worst heroin epidemic in Australia. When she goes to the police station for answers, she finds that the police aren't helpful and the community won't talk to them. In frustration she says to the police officer, "Your police force is 100% white in a town where most people are not. I'll just be talking to them. Like a member of the community." They end up agreeing to let her try and give her the notes detailing who she should talk to who was there at the restaurant the night that Denny was killed. And so Ky interviews her community and as she does, the author, Lien, shares each character's back story. Lien does a great job building up each person and through these people, explores the refugee community, racism, and generational trauma.
Tldr: it's an exploration of a community and not a mystery thriller
Quotes:
"...because what do the living do besides carry the dead?"
"Tell me, how exactly are the people you're sworn to protect at fault? And in what world is it appropriate or rational to conclude that they won't talk to you because they're dumb. Have you considered that maybe.. Oh, I don't know. You're fucking dumb?"
It's AAPI Heritage month still so give this a try ❤️