Publisher Description

'Dazzling. Sharply drawn and hauntingly beautiful.' Elif Shafak, Booker Prize-shortlisted author of The Island of Missing TreesIn 1969, two sisters from rural Vi?t Nam leave their parents' home and travel to the bustling city of Sài Gòn. Soon their lives are swept up in the unstoppable flames of a war that is blazing through their country. They begin working as 'bar girls' in one of the drinking dens frequented by American GIs, forced to accept that survival now might mean compromising the values they once clung to. Decades later, two men wander through the streets and marketplaces of a very different Sài Gòn: modern, forward-looking, healing. But neither of these men can escape the shadow of decisions made by themselves and others during a time of war.Through the interwoven stories of these four unforgettable characters, Dust Child exposes the devastating legacy of conflict, and asks what it takes to move forward. Heartfelt, suspenseful and poetic, this is Nguy?n Phan Qu? Mai at her very best.

Author Biography

Nguy?n Phan Qu? Mai is an award-winning Vietnamese poet and novelist. She is the author of eleven books of poetry, fiction and non-fiction. Her debut novel and first book in English, The Mountains Sing, is an international bestseller and runner-up in the 2021 Dayton Literary Peace Prize, Winner of the Blogger's Book Prize 2021 and the 2021 PEN Oakland/Josephine Miles Literary Award among other awards. For more information, visit: nguyenphanquemai.com

Review

'Powerful and deeply empathetic... A heartbreaking tale of lost ideals, human devotion, and hard-won redemption.' Viet Thanh Nguyen, Pulitzer Prizewinning author of The Sympathizer
'Beautifully crafted, haunting... A masterful display of Que Mai's capacity to evoke compassion through her lyrical prose.' Irish Times
'Dazzling. Sharply drawn and hauntingly beautiful.' Elif Shafak, Women's Prize-shortlisted author of The Island of Missing Trees
'Notable for its boundless compassion for all the characters, from young, brutalised US soldiers to the girls who pretend to love them and the dust children left behind.' The Times
'Dust Child is satisfying, lyrical, and deeply empathetic. Nguy…n Phan Qu Mai is a born storyteller.' Gabrielle Zevin, author of Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow
'Once again, Nguy…n Phan Qu Mai has written a beautiful novel that shines a light on the history of Vietnam... Dust Child is simply stunning.' Eric Nguyen, author of Things We Lost to the Water
'A heartbreaking, beautifully told, utterly unique story of love, loss, and longing that speaks to the very heart of the human experience.' Kristin Harmel, New York Times-bestselling author of The Forest of Vanishing Stars
'Well-researched, realistic, and compassionately written... This eye-opening and fascinating novel is a must-read!' Le Ly Hayslip, bestselling author of When Heaven and Earth Changed Places
'Nguy…n Phan Qu Mai is one of the most unique storytellers of our time... She creates plots which are Dickensian in their breadth and mastery, while bravely probing the complex emotional challenges of living in a modern world full of disruption and displacement.' Natalie Jenner, internationally bestselling author of The Jane Austen Society
'Nguyen's novels, suffused with kindness and understanding, are an important and accessible tool to delve deeply into the perspectives of those whose lives were changed by the conflict. Her kaleidoscopic view opens doors of empathy and humanity.' Sydney Morning Herald
'Phenomenally beautiful.' Australian Women's Weekly
'Look for a reception akin to Min Jin Lee's bestselling Pachinko.' LA Times
'I truly cannot wait for the rest of the world to celebrate this book.' Chanel Miller, New York Times bestselling author of Know My Name
'Qu Mai demonstrates a deep understanding of splintered lives. The compassionate treatment of her characters, insights into the period and eloquent prose are impressive.' FT

Promotional

A suspenseful and moving novel about the little-known plight of a generation of the Amerasian children left behind after the Viet Nam war

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