The enigmatic first novel from memoirist Nguyen (Stealing Buddha's Dinner
) is a detailed character study of second-generation sisters who find themselves more anchored by their Vietnamese heritage than they had realized. Van and Linny Luong, estranged since their childhood in a suburb of Grand Rapids, Mich., return home for their father's American citizenship ceremony. Van, a lifelong goodie-goodie, finds herself abandoned by her husband, while Linny, Van's polar opposite, leaves her married lover once she discovers how he feels about her. Their father, a reluctant tile worker but enthusiastic inventor of devices to improve the lives of short people, provides a perfect diversion for his daughters—he needs them to come with him to Detroit to audition for a TV show. When the audition doesn't go as planned and family secrets start to come out, Linny, Van and Mr. Luong all get a chance to set aside their past failures and find a way to remake themselves. Though not all of the ideas put into play about immigration and immigrant life work themselves out, Nguyen's novel is clever and lively, a fine update to a familiar setup. (July)
Details
Reviewed on: 03/16/2009
Genre: Fiction
Compact Disc - 978-1-4233-9102-9
Downloadable Audio - 978-1-4233-9106-7
MP3 CD - 978-1-5012-8459-5
MP3 CD - 978-1-4233-9104-3
Open Ebook - 978-1-101-25955-9
Open Ebook - 978-1-101-08225-6
Open Ebook - 304 pages - 978-1-101-08057-3
Paperback - 304 pages - 978-0-14-311750-6
Paperback - 304 pages - 978-0-14-103917-6
Peanut Press/Palm Reader - 304 pages - 978-1-101-08099-3
Pre-Recorded Audio Player - 978-1-4418-1035-9
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