I received an advanced review copy of Dust Child from the Early Reviewer's Program at Librarything in exchange for an honest review. This historical novel will be published in March 2023 and it is a winner. The story is about a Vietnamese man who wants to emigrate to America. He has been mistreated his entire life because he is Amerasian, born to a Vietnamese mother and African American father. Tens of thousands of these children were born and they are called bụi đời (the dust of life). Dust Child is the author's second novel, following her 2020 novel The Mountains Sing.
The publisher's summary:
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. Decades later, an American veteran, 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.
Dust Child is a poignant tale told from three alternating perspectives, Phong, Trang and Dan. The chapters alternate between each of them which is both a blessing and a hindrance. While all three storylines are interesting, I found that as I became engaged in one I did not want to change to the next one. However, I doubt that the novel would have been as captivating without this literary device. It made me continue reading until the end. The characters have been chosen from among the Viet Cong, American soldiers, the ARVN (Army of the Republic of Vietnam) and the citizenry of Vietnam so there are even more perspectives for the reader to get to know. Reading about all of these perspectives was an educational experience for me.
I think most people view Vietnam as a poor country. In the beginning of the novel just about all of the characters were living in poverty. When Dan's storyline begins to be fleshed out, he sees it as an urban place. His impression is based on its paved roads and new businesses. However, I would still say that the setting was an impoverished nation. Poverty runs deep throughout the book for all of the characters whether in their past lives or their present. It is always in the back of their minds and shapes their decisions. It is a sad setting appropriate for the difficult lives that the Vietnamese must lead. You want to root for them though, hoping that they can overcome not only the physical but the emotional scars from the past.
