Thanks to Macmillan Audio for the copy of this ALC.

"Knowledge allows remembering, and remembering is honoring."

Ahn, along with her brothers Thanh and Minh, begin a journey to Hong Kong after American troops leave Vietnam. Expecting to reunite with the rest of their family, they find that they are now all that remains and Ahn is left in charge of her brothers. They are admitted into the UK as one of the 10,000 "boat people" allowed by Margaret Thatcher - but not without struggles and opposition.

I loved the structure of this novel. Not only were there past and present timelines, there were also musings from deceased ancestors and non-fiction article interludes. This setup allowed me to learn the facts from this period in history and generational trauma while also listening to a generational story and feeling the emotions of this refugee story. I appreciated learning about Operation Wandering Soul, Margaret Thatcher's immigration policies, and Koh Kra Island massacres - these are all pieces of history that I hadn't studied before, and I'm truly glad that I read this book.

Read if you:
- enjoyed the structure of No Land to Light On
- love immigrant and generational stories
- want to learn more about "boat people" and Margaret Thatcher's immigration policies
- want to support a BIPOC debut

What a beautiful book.
What an incredible writing style.
What an emotional read.


OMG.


Add this book to your TBR right now! It’s a little over 200 pages and it’ll rip your heart out.


The year is 1978. Anh, Minh, and Thanh leave the rest of their family to go to Hong Kong, and from there, travel to the US in search of the American Dream.


The boat where their parents and other siblings were doesn’t make it, and the three of them are now orphaned. Anh is sixteen and she becomes the caretaker of her young brother.


They spend years in a refugee campus waiting for any country to take them in.


They finally receive the news that they can start a life in the UK. It’s a clean start, and they can honor their family's sacrifices by trying to have a good life.


But of course, it’s not that easy.


I felt so attached to these characters, I was really hoping they’d have a good life. And I think above all, this story is real. It’s relatable. There’s pain, there’s racism, but there’s also love, and new beginnings.