"When Hương arrives in New Orleans in 1979 with her two young sons, she is jobless, homeless, and worried about her husband, Công, who remains in Vietnam. As she and her boys begin to settle into life in America, she continues to send letters and tapes back to Công, hopeful that they will be reunited and her children will grow up with a father. Over time, Hương realizes she will never see Công again. While she copes with this loss, her sons, Tuấn and Bình, grow up in their absent father's shadow, haunted by a man and a country trapped in their memories and imaginations. As they push forward, the three adapt to life in America in different ways: Hương takes up with a Vietnamese car salesman who is also new in town; Tuấn tries to connect with his heritage by joining a local Vietnamese gang; and Bình, now going by Ben, embraces his burgeoning sexuality. Their search for identity--as individuals and as a family--tears them apart, until disaster strikes and they must find a new way to come together and honor the ties that bind them"-- Provided by publisher.
|
