Thank you @algonquinbooks for the gifted copy of Dust Child by Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai! This novel came out on March 14 and has been getting a lot of buzz, deservedly so. I have not read her debut: The Mountains Sing, equally praised, but it is definitely now on my TBR.
I love a story that utilizes a multiple timeline, multiple narrator arc that comes together in unexpected ways. Learning more about a time in history I have very little understanding of, but now want to know more, is the best kind of historical fiction. (Turns out that seing Miss Saigon as a teenager didn’t give me that much perspective about children of GIs and Vietnamese women left behind after the War.)
Each character is carrying their trauma in such complex and heartbreaking ways, from Phong - the orphaned biracial child left behind in Vietnam, Dan - the American veteran, and Tran - a girl who worked in a bar during the war to help her family make ends meet. But there is hope and beauty and resilience amongst the heartbreak.
The writing was lovely, and very accessible as I absolutely flew through the pages. If you are a fan of historical fiction, this is a perfect book about a period in time not often touched upon, and one that is rife with stories that should be told.