By Bich Minh Nguyen
A captivating novel approximately estranged sisters and the cultural and relatives historical past that binds themVan and Linny Luong are as baffling to one another as their mom and dad' Vietnamese legacy is to them either. Van, the fundamental overachiever, has utilized an identical studied diligence to her legislations profession and marriage-a beau id?al that vaporized whilst Mr. correct walked out. Linny-pretty, stylish, untethered-is greedy for objective while her affair with a married guy takes a humiliating flip. every one is the final individual her sister may name, but if Mr. Luong summons them domestic for his American citizenship social gathering, Van and Linny locate themselves communing approximately their past-their overdue mom, their father's obsession together with his Luong Arm invention, even the irony in their romantic straits. As those not likely confidantes chart the uncertainty that defines them, they forge a tentative new dating and the wherewithal to beat unhappiness. Hailed through the Chicago Tribune as "a author to monitor, an immense talent," Nguyen recasts her presents marvelously during this first novel, infusing it with humor, compassion, and perception into siblings, getting older mom and dad, and the needs and pursuits that force us.
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She went to her laptop and typed Ann Arbor hotels into a search engine, doubling and rechecking her research in the way she’d always done with work. She had ruled out the possibility of his staying with a friend; he wouldn’t relinquish the privacy of his story in order to gain a few days in a spare bedroom. He would have gone to a hotel. But they lived in a college town; there were no W Hotels or hipster boutiques here, the kinds of places Miles preferred whenever they traveled. The Bell Tower Inn was stuffy and brocaded, too conspicuous.
While he liked that Pren’s consulting work took her out of town every week, he also admired her accomplishments. Pren had scored with a Rauschenberg piece for her job; Pren had bought smartly for someone at a Sotheby’s auction. At home, Pren designed their new sunroom. She had a closet devoted entirely to shoes, handbags, and scarves. Linny tried not to react to such comments, though once she’d snapped, “How does Pren like my chicken piccata? ” To Linny the very idea of the future had become dangerous, like leaning over a balcony on the twentieth floor.
He went to the window and introduced them. “This is Maya, Diana, and Julie. ” She knew she was supposed to play along. ” “All over. ” He still had a curious smile on his face, as though he had just uncovered a secret dirty habit of Van’s. “They’re just friends now, Van. I’ve known them for a long time. You can’t be jealous of my having friends. ” Van tried to keep her voice light. ” Miles came over to Van and put his arms around her. He smelled of citrus soap and shaving cream. “So jealous,” he said teasingly into her hair.