A special thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.Thúy, Canada Reads winner, returns with Vi, a stunning work that explores the lives and struggles of Vietnamese refugees.
Vi, a name that means "precious, tiny one" lives up to her name as the youngest of four children and the only daughter. She is a joy to her family.
Torn apart by the Vietnam war, her family starts anew in Canada without their father who stayed behind in Vietnam. Vi's mother and brothers establish roots in their new homeland, where Vi feels a sense of awakening, and that the world has opened itself up to her. She is taken under the wing by Ha, a worldly family friend/lover. As she crosses international boundaries, she tests her own personal ones—she is learning about the complexities of life, love, relationships, humanity, and where her place is in all of this.
Thúy's prose is gorgeous, haunting, and mesmerizing. Her writing is captivating and elegant. She captures the spirit and innocence of a young girl while paying homage to Vietnamese culture on the backs of rich characters that are redefining tradition in a new country.
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