An American GI, two Vietnamese bargirls, and an Amerasian man are forced to make decisions during and after the Việt Nam War that will reverberate throughout each other's lives.
A moving story from an often-overlooked perspective ... Dust Child isn’t the most complicated book out there. Astute readers will figure out the novel’s linchpins well before the commonalities between the three stories are officially revealed ... The dialogue can also feel a little stiff at times ... Still, the well-researched Dust Child is a worthy and affecting story that is long overdue.
At certain junctures, the plot creaks and shudders as it turns. But Quế Mai provides readers with wonderful linguistic play, and through her deft and illuminating descriptions of the intimate details of her characters’ personal lives and difficult choices, we end up caring deeply for them and hoping for their well-being.
Quế Mai adeptly balances these contemporary narratives with Phong’s early experiences and the wartime story of sisters Trang and Quynh ... here are no clear heroes or villains here as characters’ actions and choices are shaped by their circumstances and the war’s legacy.
