Synopsis:

From the internationally bestselling author of The Mountains Sing, a suspenseful and moving novel that tells the intertwined stories of an American GI, two Vietnamese bargirls, and an Amerasian man—all of whom are forced to grapple with secrets they kept during and after the Việt Nam War. 

In 1969, Trang and Quỳnh, young Vietnamese sisters, are desperate to find a way to help their parents pay off medical bills and debts. They leave their rural village and become “bar girls” in Sài Gòn, drinking, flirting (and more) with American GIs in return for money. As the war moves closer to the city, the once-innocent Trang gets swept up in an irresistible romance with a young American helicopter pilot. Decades later, Sài Gòn is a changed city, bustling, open to tourists, but also still full of bụi đời, the “dust of life,” Amerasians born to U.S. GIs and Vietnamese women, scorned and abandoned as children of the enemy. In 2016, one such man, Phong, the son of a Black American soldier and an unknown Vietnamese mother, embarks on a search to find both his parents and a way out of Vietnam. At the same time, Dan, an American Vietnam vet, lands in Sài Gòn with his wife, Linda, hoping to find a way to heal from his PTSD—but he has been harboring a secret for decades: when his tour ended he had abandoned his Vietnamese girlfriend, Kim, who was pregnant with his child. Once he returns to Viet Nam, he can no longer avoid his memories and questions. Had Kim and their child survived the war? Could they still be somewhere in the city after all these years?

Past and present converge as all these characters confront decisions made during a time of war—decisions that force them to look deep within themselves and others, across race, generation, culture, and language. Suspenseful, satisfying, and poetic, Dust Child tells an important and immersive story of war, love, and healing.

Dust Child is the delicately crafted historical fiction novel by internationally bestselling author Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai. My first experience reading the author, I felt as though I was transported to 1969 Việt Nam. Heartbreaking and honest, it was evident to me throughout the book that this story must have been inspired by real people, so I wasn’t surprised when it was confirmed in the author’s note. Ultimately, it’s a powerful story about acceptance, healing, and forgiveness.

The war was raging outside, people were dying, but here in her apartment, she felt like she belonged to a world of peace, of safety, protection, and complete trust. She was astonished that she could love a person beyond their language, skin color, and nationality, and that love was stronger and more powerful than any war. Love overcame fears and threats.

Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai, Dust Child

While the book is told from multiple points of view, the story is primarily told from three characters: 

Trang, along with her younger sister Quỳnh, are young Vietnamese women living in 1969, determined to help their parents struggling under medical bills and debtors. When a friend returns from Sài Gòn with tales of easy money as a “bar girl”, spending time drinking and talking with American GIs, the sisters decide to leave their rural village for the city.