When their parents planned a route to escape from Vietnam to the US, Anh, Thanh, and Minh didn't expect to become orphaned or land in the UK. Following their resettlement into the new country, the siblings face new identities as refugees while navigating social inequality, racism, and the raging anti-immigrant sentiment. As they mature, each must confront the weight they carry that will diverge their paths.

WANDERING SOULS is a beautifully written page-turner interspersed with the siblings' journey, reporting on the Vietnamese refugees, and a mysterious first-person narrator who reflects on the history and political landscape during the period. While some POVs are a mystery in the beginning, it all comes together powerfully toward the end of the book.

WANDERING SOULS is the first book I've read about Vietnamese immigrants and their experiences in the UK. I find the news reports about the treatment of Vietnamese refugees by the British government and the hypocrisy & racism eye-opening and sickening. However, I do wish the book could've been longer and provided more character development for Anh and her siblings, especially in adulthood.

Regardless, WANDERING SOULS is a beautiful debut that sheds light on an essential piece of history I wasn't previously aware of. It is a book that I didn't want to end, and one that I'll surely recommend to everyone. WANDERING SOULS will make a great next read for fans of ALL THAT'S LEFT UNSAID (Tracey Lien)!

Thank you to Henry Holt and NetGalley for the eARC