“How unrecognizable America had made them, she was thinking, all of them.”
I don’t know the Vietnam War. Nothing more than what I was taught in school, and admittedly, that’s not much. What’s more, my understanding of refugees’ struggles and tumultuous life changes when fleeing their war-torn countries is fairly abysmal. Eric Nguyen’s debut novel, Things We Lost to the Water, has helped me understand the sobering process more.
Beginning in the 1970’s, Nguyen unravels a tale of Huong and her two boys—Tuan (age five) and Binh (a newborn baby)—who escape war-ravaged Vietnam for a calm and lazy New Orleans. Separated from her husband, Cong, during their escape, Huong sets up life in The Big Easy, hoping that Cong joins them soon. Huong soon realizes that he will not be joining them in America. Time teaches her that she and the boys need to move forward with their lives.
Throughout the story, we follow the three characters as they set up a new life in the United States. Huong develops her skills in various jobs and works her way from having nothing to buying her first (used) car as an American citizen. We see how immigration affects Tuan and his sense of identity and how he struggles to fit in his new home in America while holding on to his past. Finally, Binh (later renaming himself Ben) struggles to find any hold in his Vietnamese culture and attempts to forge his own path independent of his family. Set over the course of almost 30 years, Nguyen weaves together a story of hope and heartbreak that may be similar to real life refugees’ experience today.
This book is a solid 4 out of 5 stars for me. While the writing is a bit jerky and can be difficult to follow, I believe it may be on purpose—to mirror just how refugees feel in their new homes: life is a bit jumpy and change is hard to process. A stunning first novel, I thank Nguyen for sharing important insights into Vietnam that I left me with greater awareness and increased compassion. And we can all use more compassion right about now.