Dust Child by Nguyen Phan Que Mai – 352 pages
ARC from Algonquin Books and Netgalley for an honest review
Book Blurb:
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.
My Review: 4.5 stars
Dust Child by Nguyen Phan Que Mai was another winner in this author’s literary belt. After huge success from her first book, The Mountains Sing, it’s absolutely amazing that she can land another rich and deeply emotional book.
This book has a few different POVs all taking place in Vietnam. One man is searching for his father – a Black American officer. Another man is visiting Vietnam – a vet suffering from PTSD that has returned to secretly search for his child, after leaving his girlfriend and baby. And finally, two sisters known as “bar girls” that are connected to these men, each with their own rich storyline.
Some may see this as a retelling of the Miss Saigon, and trust me, I see where those thoughts are coming from. But this book offers so much more emotion and depth. Learning about the country, the poverty, the ridiculousness of this war, the pain suffered and lives lost was incredibly interesting and haunting.
How the actions of all of the main characters touched the reader was incredibly effective in telling a generous and heartfelt story. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I think it’ll make a great book club pick.
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