Several years ago, I read Nguyen Phan Que mai’s debut novel The Mountains Sing and I was positively surprised. I hadn’t read a book set in Vietnam before, nor about the history of this country. Recently, this author’s new book Dust Child got published. When I read the synopsis, I was immideately intrigued. Was I still intrigued whilst reading? You will find out in this review.

About the book

Dust Child by Nguyen Phan Que Mai
Published by Algonquin on March 14, 2023
Pages: 352
ISBN: 9781643752754
Genres: Adult, General fiction, Historical fiction

From the internationally bestselling author of The Mountains Sing, a suspenseful and moving saga about family secrets, hidden trauma, and the overriding power of forgiveness, set during the war and in present-day Việt Nam.

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. Suspenseful, poetic, and perfect for readers of Min Jin Lee’s Pachinko or Yaa Gyasi’s Homegoing, Dust Child tells an unforgettable and immersive story of how those who inherited tragedy can redefine their destinies through love, hard-earned wisdom, compassion, courage, and joy.

My review

Expectations

When looking into the blurb, I expected another story full of history and things we barely learn about in school. On the other hand, I expected many emotional events and revalations, but also dificulties. Finally, I had a feeling all the POVs are connected to one another, but I had no idea how.

Characters

In this book, we follow three main characters. First of all there’s Phong, a biracial Vietnamese men who has bene born from a black American father and a Vietnamese mother. This makes his skin darker than common in Vietnam and this makes him victim of racism. A lot of racism to be exact. He dreams about going to the USA to fullfill his dreams and to grant his children and wife a better life. However, he doesn’t know who his parents are, so this gives him a lot of trouble with the visa application.

The second character we follow is Dan. He fought in the American army during the Vietnam war and now suffers from serere post-traumatic stress disorder. He agrees to go back to Vietnam with his wife Linda, to both seek healing for this traumas and find the woman he had an affair with during his time in Saigon. Both Dan’s and Phong’s POV are set in 2016.

Finally, we go back to the past were we meet Trang and Quynh live in poverty on the countryside after their dad got injured in the war. When their best friend invties them to work in Saigon, they reluctantly agree. Here, their lives are about to change drastically. They start working in a bar as prostitutes, until one of them falls in love and eventually gets pregnant. Somehow all three characters are connected to one another, but they – and we – don’t know how yet. You find out when reading, but it takes a long time to solve the puzzle. I had a feeling how this story was going to unravel somehow, but it ended up differently than I thought. In my opinion, the characters are all strong in their own way. They all have endured such a lot, and they try to make the best out of the situation. They also have to come a long way to come to terms with their situation, and slowly but steady. They learn how to deal with it. Or better, how to live with it. Therefore all characters grow equally.

Writing

Honestly, I love this authors writing style. I have been sucked into this book from the start, and barely could put it down. I really wanted to know how this story would unfold and how all the characters were connected. The alternating POVs and dual timeline are the best way to tell this story I believe. They give information slowly but steadily, and it made me curious for what’s to come next.

Plot

This novel is a mixture of being plot driven and character driven. The plot is supportive to the characters, but due to many historical facts it’s really important. The characters try to navigate around all the historical events and deal with the consequences so to say. I’m not sure how to phrase this correctly in English without being rude. I hope you understand what I mean here. However, this story was intriguing and investing from start to finish.

Final thoughts

Dus Child by Nguyen Phan Que Mai is a really intriguing historical fiction novel. It tells us a part of history we barely know about. Many Vietnamese people of the generation in this book are born out of relationships between American soldiers and Vietnamese local people. Therefore, they are seen as dust, which fits the title really well. They don’t know where they belong, and they face a lot of racism. I believe the author told this story in a respectful way. I really believed the dual timeline and alternating POV where the best way to do it. It intrigued me and I’m curious what this author’s next book will bring us.