Thao Thai's "Banyan Moon" is a unique idea, and an interesting debut novel! I was lucky enough to receive a copy from Ms. Thai that she signed and personalized for me after being interviewed for WOSU's All Sides Weekend Books, so much appreciated!
"Banyan Moon" is told through the eyes of three generations of fiery Vietnamese women, spanning from 1960's Vietnam to modern day Florida. First off, it's a definite recommendation for anyone who likes very badass female characters! To be honest, I jumped in looking forward to hearing the grandmother (Minh)'s side most of all, mainly her own account of the Vietnam War. Naturally, we hear a lot about the (so-called) war from the veterans who were there (or we don't hear much about it, as many don't like to talk about it...understandably) ...but what was it like for the Vietnamese civilian population? While it didn't answer as many questions as I would have liked for it to (though I could certainly feel the tension that Minh and her loved ones were experiencing!) it held my attention anyway!
Maybe because she was the most "modern" and likely closest to my own age, I was initially drawn to Ann, the granddaughter. She's very much caught between two worlds- the modern Western world, but still wanting to stay true to her heritage, and more or less please her older family members. But when Minh passes away suddenly and her mother Huong wants her to come home to their "Banyan House" in the Florida swamplands, her life is turned upside down...in more ways than one.
Minh's parts are told through the eyes of her "spirit" watching over her daughter and granddaughter. This is a huge kudos that I give to this book and author-what an interesting idea! I won't deny that since I am American born and white, Asian diaspora stories tend to go over my head. But I found the snippets of culture described interesting, particularly their "Ancestor shrines"...very much like what Wiccans put up.
The biggest complaint that I have of this book truly is...I've been camping in the Everglades before, and it almost made me want to go back! (Sadly, as we all know, the state of affairs in Florida isn't currently good at all.) 😂
"Banyan Moon" is told through the eyes of three generations of fiery Vietnamese women, spanning from 1960's Vietnam to modern day Florida. First off, it's a definite recommendation for anyone who likes very badass female characters! To be honest, I jumped in looking forward to hearing the grandmother (Minh)'s side most of all, mainly her own account of the Vietnam War. Naturally, we hear a lot about the (so-called) war from the veterans who were there (or we don't hear much about it, as many don't like to talk about it...understandably) ...but what was it like for the Vietnamese civilian population? While it didn't answer as many questions as I would have liked for it to (though I could certainly feel the tension that Minh and her loved ones were experiencing!) it held my attention anyway!
Maybe because she was the most "modern" and likely closest to my own age, I was initially drawn to Ann, the granddaughter. She's very much caught between two worlds- the modern Western world, but still wanting to stay true to her heritage, and more or less please her older family members. But when Minh passes away suddenly and her mother Huong wants her to come home to their "Banyan House" in the Florida swamplands, her life is turned upside down...in more ways than one.
Minh's parts are told through the eyes of her "spirit" watching over her daughter and granddaughter. This is a huge kudos that I give to this book and author-what an interesting idea! I won't deny that since I am American born and white, Asian diaspora stories tend to go over my head. But I found the snippets of culture described interesting, particularly their "Ancestor shrines"...very much like what Wiccans put up.
The biggest complaint that I have of this book truly is...I've been camping in the Everglades before, and it almost made me want to go back! (Sadly, as we all know, the state of affairs in Florida isn't currently good at all.) 😂
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