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rachela_7's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Graphic: Child death, Hate crime, Racism, Sexual violence, and War
gemmascott's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
The book details Anh and her family’s journey from Vietnam to London, over the course of around 40 years, from small village, across the sea to Hong Kong and through refugee camps to a council house and eventually a forever home.
I loved the fact that, for Anh and her brothers, there was no fairytale ending (they had ordinary lives and they and their children experienced lasting trauma from their experiences). Yet, the book still ends on a happy and hopeful note, as Anh looks on at her family enjoying their lives together - so much pressure is often put on refugees and immigrants to achieve in ways that people born in this country are not, as if they need to be “deserving” of their place, which is simply not the case. However, I imagine that for many people like Anh, that guilt is real.
I had no idea Vietnamese refugees were housed in this country and so it opened up a new perspective for me on 80s politics and the aftermath of the Vietnam War, as well as a new culture. The chapters from the perspective of Dao didn’t make sense to me at first, but they were a very poignant way to share the story of those migrants who lost their lives and to introduce Vietnamese ideas on the afterlife, as well to explore the themes of grief, loss and displacement.
As I was finishing this book, i had been sent home from work due to a potential riot by far right protesters, so this quote in particular stood out for me:
“Anh pitied these people. She pitied their ignorance, their misconceptions, which blurred their minds into oblivion. She sensed their hate and sensed their fears, that she was the scapegoat for their feelings, she and her family. It wasn’t personal, she kept telling herself, they just don’t know any better”.
Graphic: Child death and Death
chrysos79's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
Moderate: Child death, Trafficking, and Death of parent
Minor: Xenophobia and War
rosy24's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Child death, Death, Sexual violence, Trafficking, Death of parent, and War
urbanheron's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Graphic: Racism, Xenophobia, and Grief
Moderate: Child death, Death of parent, and War
dnktvn's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Child death and Rape
kirareads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Death, Grief, Death of parent, and War
Moderate: Child death, Confinement, Rape, and Murder
kt_schutte's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Graphic: War
Moderate: Child death, Confinement, Death, Sexual violence, Grief, and Death of parent
Minor: Alcoholism, Panic attacks/disorders, and Alcohol
alexisgarcia's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Child death, Death, Racism, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Abandonment, War, and Classism
rsouders's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Graphic: Death, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Child death, Forced institutionalization, War, and Deportation