Dust Child by Nguyen Phan Que Mai

 

ABOUT

In 1969, sisters Trang and Quỳnh, desperate to help their parents pay off debts, leave their rural village and become “bar girls” in Sài Gòn, drinking, flirting (and more) with American GIs in return for money. As the war moves closer to the city, the once-innocent Trang gets swept up in an irresistible romance with a young and charming American helicopter pilot, Dan. Decades later, Dan returns to Việt Nam with his wife, Linda, hoping to find a way to heal from his PTSD and, unbeknownst to her, reckon with secrets from his past.

At the same time, Phong—the son of a Black American soldier and a Vietnamese woman—embarks on a search to find both his parents and a way out of Việt Nam. Abandoned in front of an orphanage, Phong grew up being called “the dust of life,” “Black American imperialist,” and “child of the enemy,” and he dreams of a better life for himself and his family in the U.S.

Past and present converge as these characters come together to confront decisions made during a time of war—decisions that force them to look deep within and find common ground across race, generation, culture, and language. Suspenseful, poetic, and perfect for readers of Min Jin Lee’s Pachinko or Yaa Gyasi’s Homegoing, Dust Child tells an unforgettable and immersive story of how those who inherited tragedy can redefine their destinies through love, hard-earned wisdom, compassion, courage, and joy.

My Thoughts

Amazing!!!

This author definitely knows how to write a story that would evoke every single emotion out of you. Her writing is also very educational and informative at least in my view because after reading The Mountains Sing and now Dust Child I now have a greater appreciation for the casualties of the Vietnam war.

In Dust Child we meet several characters the most notable Phong who we learn early on, simply by his appearance that he is what they call an Ameriasian. His dream was to go to the US for a better life and to uncover who his birth parents were. This book focuses Phong's struggles and he had many.

We also meet Dan an ex soldier who has a secret that has been haunting him his entire life. Dan has PTSD, but he also had a secret involving a young Vietnamese women named Trang aka Kim that he withheld from his wife Linda.

This book was well written. This story had an element of everything, sorrow, pain and even joy. Every emotion you can feel you will in this book. I highly recommend this.