Synopsis: Cherry Truong’s parents have exiled her wayward older brother from their Southern California home, sending him to Vietnam to live with distant relatives. Determined to bring him back, twenty-one-year-old Cherry travels to their homeland and finds herself on a journey to uncover her family’s decades-old secrets—hidden loves, desperate choices, and lives ripped apart by the march of war and currents of history.
The Reeducation of Cherry Truong tells the story of two fierce and unforgettable families, the Truongs and the Vos: their harrowing escape from Vietnam after the war, the betrayal that divided them, and the stubborn memories that continue to bind them years later, even as they come to terms with their hidden sacrifices and bitter mistakes. Kim-Ly, Cherry’s grandmother, once wealthy and powerful in Vietnam, now struggles to survive in Little Saigon, California without English or a driver’s license. Cherry’s other grandmother Hoa, whose domineering husband has developed dementia, discovers a cache of letters from a woman she thought had been left behind. As Cherry pieces their stories together, she uncovers the burden of her family’s love and the consequences of their choices.
Set in Vietnam, France, and the United States, Aimee Phan’s sweeping debut novel reveals a family still yearning for reconciliation, redemption, and a place to call home.
Review: The title grabbed Suzanne, so she wanted to read this one when the e-book came in, so this is her review!
Nicole and I read alot of books from foreign author, or ones that are set in foreign countries, so we are comfortable with different languages and locales in books we read. But having said that, I had a hard time finishing this book. I kept picking it up and then putting it back down. part of the problems was the constant switching from Vietnam, Paris and California and back, was not well achieved, and left me having to go back and reread, thinking I had missed something. More editing was definitely needed there.
The author definitely knows her Vietnamese history and the affects of immigration to the US upon it's members, and she brings the conflict of love and pain of being distant from one another to the book. I just did not get involved in the characters. It might be based on my experiences, or just that there was too much confusion to keep me on track. While the book may not be my style, it might hold someone else's attention. I had high hopes for it, based on the author's other writings, but it wasn't my cup of tea.
Nicole and I read alot of books from foreign author, or ones that are set in foreign countries, so we are comfortable with different languages and locales in books we read. But having said that, I had a hard time finishing this book. I kept picking it up and then putting it back down. part of the problems was the constant switching from Vietnam, Paris and California and back, was not well achieved, and left me having to go back and reread, thinking I had missed something. More editing was definitely needed there.
The author definitely knows her Vietnamese history and the affects of immigration to the US upon it's members, and she brings the conflict of love and pain of being distant from one another to the book. I just did not get involved in the characters. It might be based on my experiences, or just that there was too much confusion to keep me on track. While the book may not be my style, it might hold someone else's attention. I had high hopes for it, based on the author's other writings, but it wasn't my cup of tea.
About the Author: Aimee Phan grew up in Orange County, California, and now teaches in the MFA Writing Program and Writing and Literature Program at California College of the Arts. A 2010 National Endowment of the Arts Creative Writing Fellow, Aimee received her MFA from the Iowa Writer's Workshop, where she won a Maytag Fellowship. Her first book, WE SHOULD NEVER MEET, was named a Notable Book by the Kiryama Prize in fiction and a finalist for the 2005 Asian American Literary Awards. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times, USA Today, and The Oregonian among others.
Disclosure / Disclaimer: I received this book, free of charge, from Wunderkid PR, for review purposes on this blog. No other compensation, monetary or other, has been received or implied for this post. Nor was I told how to post about it
Comments
Post a Comment