by Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai
The audiobook was a deal of the day from Audible. I bought it because I thought it might be a good one for our high school geography course, one that would trace much of recent Vietnamese history in the voice of a Vietnamese poet. Our library had the book, but the audiobook would pronounce the names and sayings properly.
Beauty and tragedy come alive in this far-reaching story following an extended family of a young girl as she grows into a woman, Guava by nickname, in Vietnam. The perspective from a non-American source is illuminating. Much of the language is as poetic and lyrical as you would hope from a celebrated poet like the author. I feel like I glimpsed something magnificent and true about Vietnam as I listened. The audiobook was a particularly powerful way to immerse myself in the story; she was an excellent performer.
Sometimes the language seemed a little forced to me. It's hard to know if that might be a problem with the translation or because modern America is not as welcoming to poetry in general as Vietnam may be, rather than any defect in the novel. I did sometimes think the narrator's voice was indistinguishable from her uncles. They tell significant portions of the story, but in language and details as she would.
The most difficult part of this book is simply the horror and tragedy Vietnam's people experienced in the past three or four generations. Guava's family suffers in every generation - from the Japanese, the Land Reform, and the Vietnam War and its aftermath. After a while, I had to take breaks from the story to listen to something less depressing and violent. For that reason, I've decided not to include it in our geography course. In some ways, it seems wrong to protect our teenagers from violence perpetrated towards families without the luxuries we have to do so, but just because such things happen doesn't mean we need to subject our children to them. There will be plenty of time for my kids to read or listen to this book in college or as adults.
I have received nothing in exchange for this post. Links to Amazon above are affiliate links. I purchased the audiobook.
