Things We Lost to the Water: A novel

I loved this book. I think each story about the mom and her two sons were beautifully written. I especially loved reading about the mom's unrequited love for her lost husband who did not embark on the boat with them to flee Vietnam during the war. The mom tries her best to assimilate her sons in New Orleans, and I loved the parallels between their boat journey from Vietnam to the US and Hurricane Katrina. The stories of the brothers were also compelling: how older brother Tuan joins a local gang, and how younger brother Binh/Ben copes with his homosexuality in a conservative town.

Read December 2021 NOTES S: Enjoyed this new authors perspective on generational grieving. Good character development and foreshadowing tied with water. Could have flushed out character conflicts more for me T: Enjoyed the story of family, loss, and change. The ending left something wanting for me, and could have wrapped up tighter. J: I enjoyed the message of the book about the choices we make and trauma, but I wish I had more time with the characters at the end. B: