Genre Fiction
![Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai - [object Object] author](https://res.cloudinary.com/readsomnia/image/upload/authors/a_B083YY3ZN8.jpg)
Dust Child
From the bestselling author of The Mountains Sing, a richly poetic and suspenseful saga about two Vietnamese sisters, an American veteran, and an Amerasian man whose lives intersect in surprising ways, set during and after the war in Việt Nam.
In 1969,sisters Trang and Quỳnh, desperate to help their parents pay off debts, leave their rural village to work at a bar in Sài Gòn. Once in the big city, the young girls are thrown headfirst into a world they were not expecting. They learn how to speak English, how to dress seductively, and how to drink and flirt (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 handsome and kind American helicopter pilot she meets at the bar.
Decades later, an American veteran, Dan, returns to Việt Nam with his wife, Linda, in search of a way to heal from his PTSD; instead, secrets he thought he had buried surface and threaten his marriage. At the same time, Phong-the adult son of a Black American soldier and a Vietnamese woman-embarks on a mission 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 in the United States for himself, his wife Bình, and his children.
Past and present converge as these characters come together to confront decisions made during a time of war-decisions that reverberate throughout one another's lives and ultimately allow them to find common ground across race, generation, culture, and language. Immersive, moving, and lyrical, Dust Child tells an unforgettable story of how those who inherited tragedy can redefine their destinies with hard-won wisdom, compassion, courage, and joy.
In 1969,sisters Trang and Quỳnh, desperate to help their parents pay off debts, leave their rural village to work at a bar in Sài Gòn. Once in the big city, the young girls are thrown headfirst into a world they were not expecting. They learn how to speak English, how to dress seductively, and how to drink and flirt (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 handsome and kind American helicopter pilot she meets at the bar.
Decades later, an American veteran, Dan, returns to Việt Nam with his wife, Linda, in search of a way to heal from his PTSD; instead, secrets he thought he had buried surface and threaten his marriage. At the same time, Phong-the adult son of a Black American soldier and a Vietnamese woman-embarks on a mission 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 in the United States for himself, his wife Bình, and his children.
Past and present converge as these characters come together to confront decisions made during a time of war-decisions that reverberate throughout one another's lives and ultimately allow them to find common ground across race, generation, culture, and language. Immersive, moving, and lyrical, Dust Child tells an unforgettable story of how those who inherited tragedy can redefine their destinies with hard-won wisdom, compassion, courage, and joy.
Editorial Reviews
Named a Best Book of March/Spring 2023 by the Los Angeles Times, Amazon, the Chicago Review of Books, Ms. Magazine, BookPage, and BookBub
"Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai will win many more readers with her powerful and deeply empathetic second novel. From the horrors of war and its enduring afterlife for men and women, lovers and children, soldiers and civilians, she weaves a heartbreaking tale of lost ideals, human devotion, and hard-won redemption. Dust Child establishes Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai as one of our finest observers of the devastating consequences of war, and proves, once more, her ability to captivate readers and lure them into Viet Nam's rich and poignant history."―Viet Thanh Nguyen, Pulitzer Prize winning author of The Sympathizer and The Committed
"Dazzling. Sharply drawn and hauntingly beautiful."―Elif Shafak, author of The Island of Missing Trees
"Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai shows us the capacity we hold to confront our pasts, for the purpose of life is not to remain intact, but to break open, to let loss be a guide, to face the echoes of longing. In Dust Child, rupture leads to emotional richness and pain creates the pathways worth walking. I truly cannot wait for the rest of the world to celebrate this book."―Chanel Miller, New York Times bestselling author of Know My Name
"Once again, Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai has written a beautiful novel that shines a light on the history of Vietnam. With a poet's grace, she writes of the legacy of war across time and place and the stories that bind us. Dust Child is simply stunning."―Eric Nguyen, author of Things We Lost To The Water
"Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai is one of the most unique storytellers of our time. She creates plots which are Dickensian in their breadth and mastery, while bravely probing the complex emotional challenges of living in a modern world full of disruption and displacement. In Dust Child, Quế Mai displays the same tenderness and compassion for her characters, hard-earned understanding of human trauma...
"Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai will win many more readers with her powerful and deeply empathetic second novel. From the horrors of war and its enduring afterlife for men and women, lovers and children, soldiers and civilians, she weaves a heartbreaking tale of lost ideals, human devotion, and hard-won redemption. Dust Child establishes Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai as one of our finest observers of the devastating consequences of war, and proves, once more, her ability to captivate readers and lure them into Viet Nam's rich and poignant history."―Viet Thanh Nguyen, Pulitzer Prize winning author of The Sympathizer and The Committed
"Dazzling. Sharply drawn and hauntingly beautiful."―Elif Shafak, author of The Island of Missing Trees
"Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai shows us the capacity we hold to confront our pasts, for the purpose of life is not to remain intact, but to break open, to let loss be a guide, to face the echoes of longing. In Dust Child, rupture leads to emotional richness and pain creates the pathways worth walking. I truly cannot wait for the rest of the world to celebrate this book."―Chanel Miller, New York Times bestselling author of Know My Name
"Once again, Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai has written a beautiful novel that shines a light on the history of Vietnam. With a poet's grace, she writes of the legacy of war across time and place and the stories that bind us. Dust Child is simply stunning."―Eric Nguyen, author of Things We Lost To The Water
"Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai is one of the most unique storytellers of our time. She creates plots which are Dickensian in their breadth and mastery, while bravely probing the complex emotional challenges of living in a modern world full of disruption and displacement. In Dust Child, Quế Mai displays the same tenderness and compassion for her characters, hard-earned understanding of human trauma...
Readers Top Reviews
ShrutiShruti
The Vietnamese War has affected many people's lives. During those times, many American GIs and Vietnamese Women were together not just for intimacy but because they were lonely but they found support in each other. This story talks about “Amerasians,” the children of American GIs and Vietnamese women. The story is set between 1969 and 2016 which switches between past and present smoothly. Phong, a half-Black half-Vietnamese “child of the enemy,” was abandoned and bullied for being black. At his middle age, he along with his family wanted to migrate to the US in 2016 under the Amerasian Homecoming Act, but his application was denied as he doesn't have solid proof of his parents. Two sisters Trang and Quỳnh from a rural Vietnam village started working in a bar of Saigon. They did the bad work to earn money so that they can help their parents in their debts. Trang found solace in Dan, an American GI who left her when she was pregnant. Dan a helicopter pilot,returns to Vietnam with his wife Linda in search of a closure. He was feeling guilty for abandoning Kim when he was stationed there in 1969. And their worlds connect with each other,there was hope, happiness, acceptance and regrets. Each and every character was written so well. Not just the main characters but the way the author has shown the effects of war on supporting characters also were heartwrenching. Phong's struggle to earn money and desperation to find his parents was really heartbreaking. It was Phong's story which touched my heart. TW - War,Rape, Bullying, Racism and PTSD.
Dedra @ A Book Wa
Dust Child is the delicately crafted historical fiction novel by internationally bestselling author Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai. My first experience reading the author, I felt as though I was transported to 1969 Việt Nam. Heartbreaking and honest, it was evident to me throughout the book that this story must have been inspired by real people, so I wasn’t surprised when it was confirmed in the author’s note. Ultimately, it’s a powerful story about acceptance, healing, and forgiveness. While the book is told from multiple points of view, the story is primarily told from three characters: Trang, along with her younger sister Quỳnh, are young Vietnamese women living in 1969, determined to help their parents struggling under medical bills and debtors. When a friend returns from Sài Gòn with tales of easy money as a “bar girl”, spending time drinking and talking with American GIs, the sisters decide to leave their rural village for the city. In 2016, we meet Phong, an Amerasian, the son of a Vietnamese woman and a Black American GI, who grew up as an orphan without ever knowing his parents. He’s in Sài Gòn with his wife and children hoping to discover the identity of his parents and a way for his family to reach America. Labeled bụi đời, the “dust of life,” by the Vietnamese, he’s been discriminated against and mistreated all his life. Throughout his tale, the reader gets flashbacks into his childhood and early life. Dan is an American Vietnam vet who has arrived back in Sài Gòn with his wife, Linda. They’re hoping a visit to the past will help him heal from his PTSD, but he’s been keeping a secret from Linda for over forty years. When he left Sài Gòn, he left behind a Vietnamese girlfriend, Kim, who was pregnant with his child. In the beginning, I had little sympathy for Dan—and even Linda. Which is probably kind of the point, but the author does such a good job of making them human, illustrating how war is bad for everyone, that I couldn’t help but hope they found the answers they were looking for. Nguyễn successfully depicts how suffering and hurt people can hurt others. It’s no excuse, but it helps to wrap our brains around some of the atrocities of war—how humans can be so unkind, and it’s a reminder that we should never just blindly follow the lead of others, although we often do. I was also impressed with how the author used the briefest side characters to bring such an impact to the story and the lives of our main characters. It’s also a great technique to keep the reader in suspense, always wondering who or what might be revealed next. Towards the end of the book, I was a little unsatisfied with how it was wrapping up—until there was a small twist that had a big impact on the story. The result made so much more sense than the direction I thought it was going in before. It firmly kept this story at ...
TimDedra @ A Book
Touched by war can be felt in many different ways, not only by the person experiencing it at the moment but also the lives that are born during and after the conflict is over.
Elizabeth Sommers
Almost 40 years since the American army left Vietnam, suffering and pain continue. Children whose fathers were in the U. S. military and whose mothers were young Vietnamese women bear the brunt of a legacy of imperialism. This novel shares the shameful truth and shines a light of awareness on the effects of war.
