The impact of the Vietnam War was brutal and devastating.  But none felt it as immensely as that of the Vietnamese people. 

 

In this tragic storyline, we get firsthand perspective of that turmoil and hardship through the Tran family. The cross-generational narrative showcases the far-reaching implications of The Land Reform and the Great Hunger.  

 

No doubt, this is an important story with an important point of view.  However, for me, the writing style lacked the emotional resonance I needed to connect to the history in a deeper, more impactful way.  There were scenes that should have gutted me that, instead, fell flat.  

 

Given that this story was written in English, the author’s nonnative language, I wondered if it might’ve translated better from her native Vietnamese?  

 

While the writing style didn’t work for me overall, I appreciate what Mai set out to accomplish in telling this story.  

 

I started out alternating the print and audio formats of this book.  But with the large cast and nonlinear timeline, the print format worked best.