I was immersed in this family saga, which focuses on a Vietnamese-American grandmother, mother, and daughter living in a crumbling mansion in Florida.

Daughter Ann Tran comes back to the Banyan house, after her mother lets her know that Minh, her grandmother, has passed away. Ann's already in an emotional tailspin, after discovering she's pregnant and her boyfriend had an affair. Once she's back, old-simmering tensions rise between Ann and her mother, Hoang. Their experiences are also occasionally commented on by the ghost of Minh, who's still hanging around the Banyan House.

Aside from one "big" event, this narrative is mostly the day-to-day life of these woman and flashbacks to the past, where arguments arose or plot points (one major one) were put in motion that affected things in present day. I love family stories like this--so specific and filled with few, but richly drawn characters. All three of these women are complex and their pasts and present interactions with each other (and a compelling family secret) are the sparks that keep the story and action moving. I also appreciated how micro-aggressions they face as Vietnamese-Americans are organically woven into an already dramatic narrative.

If you love stories about women, their complexities, and how love, family, and heritage propel their lives, this book is a great choice.