"Powerful and deeply empathetic. A heartbreaking tale of lost ideals,
human devotion, and hard-won redemption. Dust Child establishes Nguyễn
Phan Quế Mai as one of our finest observers of the devastating
consequences of war, and proves, once more, her ability to captivate
readers and lure them into Viet Nam's rich and poignant history."―Viet
Thanh Nguyen, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Sympathizer and
The Committed
From the bestselling author of The Mountains Sing, a richly poetic
and suspenseful saga about two Vietnamese sisters, an American veteran,
and an Amerasian man whose lives intersect in surprising ways, set
during and after the war in Việt Nam.
In 1969, sisters Trang and Quỳnh, desperate to help their parents pay
off debts, leave their rural village to work at a bar in Sài Gòn. Once
in the big city, the young girls are thrown headfirst into a world they
were not expecting. They learn how to speak English, how to dress
seductively, and how to drink and flirt (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 handsome and kind
American helicopter pilot she meets at the bar.
Decades later, an American veteran, Dan, returns to Việt Nam with his
wife, Linda, in search of a way to heal from his PTSD; instead, secrets
he thought he had buried surface and threaten his marriage. At the same
time, Phong--the adult son of a Black American soldier and a Vietnamese
woman--embarks on a mission 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 in the United States for himself,
his wife Bình, and his children.
Past and present converge as these characters come together to confront
decisions made during a time of war--decisions that reverberate
throughout one another's lives and ultimately allow them to find common
ground across race, generation, culture, and language. Immersive,
moving, and lyrical, Dust Child tells an unforgettable story of how
those who inherited tragedy can redefine their destinies with hard-won
wisdom, compassion, courage, and joy.
