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A review by sushmitachowdhury
Daughters of the New Year by E.M. Tran
4.0
As a first-gen American daughter to immigrant parents, I related a lot to the three sisters - but especially to Trac & her struggles of being the eldest.
“It didn’t seem quite fair - that Nhi and Trieu, just because they were younger and still in college, didn’t have to deal with this. Their parents acknowledged her accomplishments the least and expected the most from her. Trac did everything before them. She had to because she was first in the line of fire. She dived right into the overgrown jungle and forced a path for the rest to follow, hacking away at cloying vines and smothering greenery. Sometimes she didn’t make it, caving into the wishes of her antagonists. But even that made it easier for Nhi and Trieu, for once their parents got what they wanted from Trac, they became more amenable to all other requests. Her sisters had no idea, really…Sure, they [her sisters] witnessed these instances of inequality (they weren’t blind after all), but seeing was different from being. And being Trac was exhausting.” (75)
“She wished she could understand what they talked about, could hear her mother in her chosen tongue. How different their relationship would be if they could communicate…if only she could find the right words in the right language to express how important it [acting] was.” (116)
“It didn’t seem quite fair - that Nhi and Trieu, just because they were younger and still in college, didn’t have to deal with this. Their parents acknowledged her accomplishments the least and expected the most from her. Trac did everything before them. She had to because she was first in the line of fire. She dived right into the overgrown jungle and forced a path for the rest to follow, hacking away at cloying vines and smothering greenery. Sometimes she didn’t make it, caving into the wishes of her antagonists. But even that made it easier for Nhi and Trieu, for once their parents got what they wanted from Trac, they became more amenable to all other requests. Her sisters had no idea, really…Sure, they [her sisters] witnessed these instances of inequality (they weren’t blind after all), but seeing was different from being. And being Trac was exhausting.” (75)
“She wished she could understand what they talked about, could hear her mother in her chosen tongue. How different their relationship would be if they could communicate…if only she could find the right words in the right language to express how important it [acting] was.” (116)