rencordings's review
3.0
I really liked We Should Never Meet, and I like The Reeducation of Cherry Truong maybe just a little better than We Should Never Meet. I feel like I'm making this a negative review of The Reeducation of Cherry Truong for saying that, but I swear that's not the case at all. In fact, through this book, I can see that Aimee Phan has truly perfected her craft.
The writing is infinitely more polished compared to We Should Never Meet, meticulously concise while still able to establish and maintain a melodic rhythm throughout. The characters and dialogues don't feel as forced, either-- perhaps this is because their lives are no longer confined to the immigrant story archetype. Everything flows incredibly smooth, too, in terms of plot progression and the narrative voice itself. So very preplanned, yet so very natural at the same time.
Reading The Reeducation of Cherry Truong was a refreshing experience for me, because the story itself goes beyond the "immigrant story" archetype yet the theme of "immigrants' lives" is the adhesive that holds the story together. The plot does get confusing at times because of the number of characters, but I also think that's to be expected as it reflects the complex, oftentimes indebted relationships in Vietnamese families, especially families of married couples that have been separated. I truly enjoyed how Aimee Phan has handled the immigration theme here-- it's clearly there as the characters' immigrant identity, memories, and traumas are clearly prevalent in everything they do and say; at the same time, it's more than retelling the immigrating process and the "assimilation" struggles. The book shows how each character copes and uses different means to survive, which also adds immense personality and depth to the characters. We've got a premise that's often (sometimes too often) explored in Vietnamese American literature involving war refugees, only for the characters then to nudge and challenge and alter our preconceptions of a typical immigrant story.
Although this isn't a personally impactful story for me and I'm unlikely to reread it, it's a truly solid book, pleasant to read, pleasant to finish.
The writing is infinitely more polished compared to We Should Never Meet, meticulously concise while still able to establish and maintain a melodic rhythm throughout. The characters and dialogues don't feel as forced, either-- perhaps this is because their lives are no longer confined to the immigrant story archetype. Everything flows incredibly smooth, too, in terms of plot progression and the narrative voice itself. So very preplanned, yet so very natural at the same time.
Reading The Reeducation of Cherry Truong was a refreshing experience for me, because the story itself goes beyond the "immigrant story" archetype yet the theme of "immigrants' lives" is the adhesive that holds the story together. The plot does get confusing at times because of the number of characters, but I also think that's to be expected as it reflects the complex, oftentimes indebted relationships in Vietnamese families, especially families of married couples that have been separated. I truly enjoyed how Aimee Phan has handled the immigration theme here-- it's clearly there as the characters' immigrant identity, memories, and traumas are clearly prevalent in everything they do and say; at the same time, it's more than retelling the immigrating process and the "assimilation" struggles. The book shows how each character copes and uses different means to survive, which also adds immense personality and depth to the characters. We've got a premise that's often (sometimes too often) explored in Vietnamese American literature involving war refugees, only for the characters then to nudge and challenge and alter our preconceptions of a typical immigrant story.
Although this isn't a personally impactful story for me and I'm unlikely to reread it, it's a truly solid book, pleasant to read, pleasant to finish.
underwater_reader's review against another edition
4.0
March is just around the corner and with it comes some exciting things like warmer weather (even though it’s been pretty warm here in the south all winter this year), longer days and less Seasonal Affective Disorder from never seeing the sunshine, my birthday and the Ides of March (same day), the local Battle of the Books competition, and perhaps best of all, the release of Aimee Phan’s debut novel The Reeducation of Cherry Truong (Phan previously released a book of short stories, We Should Never Meet). St. Martin’s Press sent me an Advanced Reader Copy of this book last month and I devoured it. This is a beautiful story of family, tragedy, culture and Vietnamese history that sweeps four countries, two continents and three generations. Prior to reading this book, I have to admit that I had never heard of the reeducation camps that occurred in Vietnam after the war and a Google search revealed some pretty awful truths about North Vietnam’s history.
The story is told in flashbacks from the perspectives of members from two Vietnamese families, the Vos and the Truongs. After the Fall of Saigon in 1975 the two families split apart; the Vos head to American and the Truongs leave for France both via a refuge camp in Malaysia. Sahn Truong leaves behind a disappointed family to take his wife, Tuyet Vo, and her family to America while the rest of the Truongs make their way to France. Both family units struggle to maintain their culture and identity while integrating into their new societies and cultures. Heartbreak and corruption is experienced by all characters in the new worlds. Cherry, the only member of the families who was actually born in the United States, is desperate to reconnect to her roots and with her brother who has moved back to Vietnam following a tragedy.
Taking place from 1979 to 2002, with a dozen characters and three generations who all experience their own form of reeducation the book is a commentary on both the history of a country as well as what it means to be a family. The characters are all well developed and each has qualities that make them simultaneously loveable and loathed, in other words, human.
The book reads like a series of short stories that come together to paint a wonderful portrait of the immigrant experience.
The story is told in flashbacks from the perspectives of members from two Vietnamese families, the Vos and the Truongs. After the Fall of Saigon in 1975 the two families split apart; the Vos head to American and the Truongs leave for France both via a refuge camp in Malaysia. Sahn Truong leaves behind a disappointed family to take his wife, Tuyet Vo, and her family to America while the rest of the Truongs make their way to France. Both family units struggle to maintain their culture and identity while integrating into their new societies and cultures. Heartbreak and corruption is experienced by all characters in the new worlds. Cherry, the only member of the families who was actually born in the United States, is desperate to reconnect to her roots and with her brother who has moved back to Vietnam following a tragedy.
Taking place from 1979 to 2002, with a dozen characters and three generations who all experience their own form of reeducation the book is a commentary on both the history of a country as well as what it means to be a family. The characters are all well developed and each has qualities that make them simultaneously loveable and loathed, in other words, human.
The book reads like a series of short stories that come together to paint a wonderful portrait of the immigrant experience.
eliz_s's review against another edition
3.0
This book ranges from a 3.5 to a 4.5 in my mind. Do not trust the jacket copy for a true summary of this work! It's misleading. My thoughts:
- Even the title is misleading; while Cherry shows up in the most chapters/sections, she's far from the most prominent character.
- The characters Phan has created here are fascinating, but I felt that there were too many. I got confused, even with the family tree at the front of the book.
- I wasn't disappointed with this work, just surprised that the jacket copy was so wrong about it. The Reeducation of Cherry Truong is really a family study, with sections from different characters' viewpoints and a letter at the start of each chapter. It doesn't flow as well as I would like, but I still learned from it. I'd like to read more from Phan.
sincerelyanne81's review
4.0
So this book hit a nerve for me because I feel like I resemble Cherry in many ways that is most definitely not a good thing. There’s so much going on that I can’t stay 100% on top of who the characters are, but just from reading all of their perspectives, I began to understand the position of my own family members better. I’ll never quite understand them, but I don’t have to, to still love and respect them. What disappoints me (and maybe this isn’t fair) is that nothing ever seems to move forward in these families. I wanted some sort of neat conclusion, any hint that families could be fixed. But it’s probably wishful thinking on my part. (*insert my own Vietnamese family drama here*)
samhouston's review against another edition
4.0
Generally speaking, the Vietnamese families who came to the United States at the close of the tragic war in that country have, as a group, done well here. Their work ethic and devotion to education meant that most of them and their children would achieve financial security in remarkably short order. Easily overlooked, however, is what it was like for whole families forced to leave behind everything but what they could carry with them. Aimee Phan’s The Reeducation of Cherry Truong tells exactly what it was like for two of those families.
Spanning three generations and three countries (Vietnam, France, and the United States), The Reeducation of Cherry Truong is the story of interrelated families forever split because of a decision made by one man. Cherry (pronounced like the fruit) Truong, having grown up in Little Saigon, California, does not know what happened all those years ago, but her efforts to convince her brother to return to California will finally expose her family’s secrets. Under the leadership of Cherry’s maternal grandmother, Cherry and her cousins are living quite comfortably in California and have promising futures. Now, however, her grandmother worries that some of her weaker grandchildren are looking for shortcuts to the easy life.
Things have not gone quite as well in Paris for Cherry’s paternal grandparents and her uncles but, there too, her cousins are preparing themselves for what they hope will be brighter futures. Sadly, her grandfather is suffering from Alzheimer’s now, one of her aunts is unstable, and her grandmother has discovered a family secret on her own. After visits to Paris and Vietnam, Cherry Truong’s reeducation will be done and she will understand the full impact of the choice her grandfather made all those years ago.
The Reeducation of Cherry Truong is about secrets and the destruction they can cause, but along the way, it offers genuine insights into family life in Vietnam both during and after the war. Too, despite the fact that few of the book’s characters are especially likable, it is difficult not to admire what the two families achieve for their children. Particularly touching is the ever-widening generational gap that becomes obvious as the first generation immigrants struggle to maintain the old ways that seem less and less important to each succeeding generation.
Readers should, from the beginning, refer to the two family trees offered at the beginning of the book. Ms. Phan uses a series of old letters and flashbacks to several different points in time (and to all three countries mentioned earlier) to tell her story. Paying attention up front to the various relationships will make it all much easier to keep track of - and will provide the reader with a much more rewarding experience.
Spanning three generations and three countries (Vietnam, France, and the United States), The Reeducation of Cherry Truong is the story of interrelated families forever split because of a decision made by one man. Cherry (pronounced like the fruit) Truong, having grown up in Little Saigon, California, does not know what happened all those years ago, but her efforts to convince her brother to return to California will finally expose her family’s secrets. Under the leadership of Cherry’s maternal grandmother, Cherry and her cousins are living quite comfortably in California and have promising futures. Now, however, her grandmother worries that some of her weaker grandchildren are looking for shortcuts to the easy life.
Things have not gone quite as well in Paris for Cherry’s paternal grandparents and her uncles but, there too, her cousins are preparing themselves for what they hope will be brighter futures. Sadly, her grandfather is suffering from Alzheimer’s now, one of her aunts is unstable, and her grandmother has discovered a family secret on her own. After visits to Paris and Vietnam, Cherry Truong’s reeducation will be done and she will understand the full impact of the choice her grandfather made all those years ago.
The Reeducation of Cherry Truong is about secrets and the destruction they can cause, but along the way, it offers genuine insights into family life in Vietnam both during and after the war. Too, despite the fact that few of the book’s characters are especially likable, it is difficult not to admire what the two families achieve for their children. Particularly touching is the ever-widening generational gap that becomes obvious as the first generation immigrants struggle to maintain the old ways that seem less and less important to each succeeding generation.
Readers should, from the beginning, refer to the two family trees offered at the beginning of the book. Ms. Phan uses a series of old letters and flashbacks to several different points in time (and to all three countries mentioned earlier) to tell her story. Paying attention up front to the various relationships will make it all much easier to keep track of - and will provide the reader with a much more rewarding experience.
sherylk's review against another edition
4.0
I found this at the library and it was good. The story is about a Vietnamese family spread between the US, France, and Vietnam. The title character Cherry grows up in the US but the story goes back two generations to the Vietnamese War.
The book jumps around in time, which I liked, because there was an element of mystery around how the characters in the present time connected to the characters in the past. The book also interspersed a set of short letters between characters with the chapters; the letters themselves then became part of the plot and not just a device to reveal certain information.
I thought the character development was pretty good, although some of the characters seemed like caricatures. It made me think about the women I know from my nail salon and whether their families and lives were similar to the ones in the book. That is, is this book representative of the multi-generational Vietnamese immigrant experience, or is it just one example experience.
Either way, I enjoyed it.
The book jumps around in time, which I liked, because there was an element of mystery around how the characters in the present time connected to the characters in the past. The book also interspersed a set of short letters between characters with the chapters; the letters themselves then became part of the plot and not just a device to reveal certain information.
I thought the character development was pretty good, although some of the characters seemed like caricatures. It made me think about the women I know from my nail salon and whether their families and lives were similar to the ones in the book. That is, is this book representative of the multi-generational Vietnamese immigrant experience, or is it just one example experience.
Either way, I enjoyed it.
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