Thanks to Henry Holt and Co. for the copy of this book.

"Knowledge allows remembering, and remembering is honoring."

Ahn, along with her brothers Thanh and Minh, begin a journey to Hong Kong after American troops leave Vietnam. Expecting to reunite with the rest of their family, they find that they are now all that remains and Ahn is left in charge of her brothers. They are admitted into the UK as one of the 10,000 "boat people" allowed by Margaret Thatcher - but not without struggles and opposition.

I loved the structure of this novel. Not only were there past and present timelines, there were also musings from deceased ancestors and non-fiction article interludes. This setup allowed me to learn the facts from this period in history and generational trauma while also listening to a generational story and feeling the emotions of this refugee story. I appreciated learning about Operation Wandering Soul, Margaret Thatcher's immigration policies, and Koh Kra Island massacres - these are all pieces of history that I hadn't studied before, and I'm truly glad that I read this book.

Read if you:
- enjoyed the structure of No Land to Light On
- love immigrant and generational stories
- want to learn more about "boat people" and Margaret Thatcher's immigration policies
- want to support a BIPOC debut