Although the first story failed to mesmerize me, the rest of the collection sure did and brilliantly so.

Andrew Lam is a chameleon writer and this collection is living proof of it. The way he keeps switching AND mastering different voices and narration style was impressive. It promised a delightful surprise at every new story which I appreciated even when I didn't actually like the story itself. It was creative, and honestly so fun, it was simply enjoyable to feel such a purposeful intention behind writing. It also proved a clever way to enhance characterization in a limited number of pages, without dragging on with lifeless description. On the contrary, scenes, lives and people were very dynamic. Their stories felt real, complex, despite being told in precise and brief moments which, in my opinion, shows a good understanding of the art of short stories.
Despite the diversity of format and tone, the central theme of the Vietnamese Diaspora was never lost but on the contrary, beautifully portrayed, with nuance, empathy and truth. I think this collection will speak to many people on a personal level, as it manages to grasps essences of nostalgia in the light, the smells and flavours it portrays. It calls to our own memories and longings in a both aching and soothing way.

She is a Dance of Frenzy - 3
Agape at the Guugenheim - 4,25
This Isle is Dull of Noises - 4,25
October laments - 3,75
A Good Broth Takes Its Time - 4,5
Bleak Houses - 3,75
To keep from Drowning - 3,75
The Shard, the Tissue, and An Affair - 3,5
Swimming from the Mekong Delta - 3
What We Talk About When We Can't Talk About Love - 3,5+
5A, 5B, DEST:SIGN - 3,5
Muni Diaries - 3,5
The Tree of Life - 3,75

4,25/5

I must admit that I was disappointed by these stories. There's homesickness, the Vietnamese view on the end of war, ambitions and failure... but all told in a strange incoherent way. Some stories are better than others, but overall they're not that good.

This was such a beautifully written collection of stories, some more vivid than others. An achingly sad current ran through all of them, while showing the liminal spaces in immigrant families fleeing war-torn Vietnam and the love that bound them together. There were also heartfelt explorations of what it meant to be a queer boy in conservative Vietnamese American culture.

Short fiction like this inspires me to write my own short fiction representing my experiences trying to live in the world and figure out my identity.

Some stories I could tell were written by a journalist turned creative writer. The emotional connection in many was subtle but powerful, hidden meanings wrapped in the spare prose.

Some were told in social media posts, others in speeches and stand-up comedy routines (hence some felt a bit more tell than show.) The formatting for these could be awkward to follow on an e-reader.

Some of the stories that stayed with me:

Agape at the Guggenheim - a man who's never been in love sees a handsome stranger at a museum and yearns for a missed connection

A Good Broth Takes its Time - Mrs. Tran's famous pho is a flavor that connects everyone who manages to find it with nostalgic memories of home

Love in the Time of the Beer Bug - In a pandemic a family barely holding it together takes a significant trip to the beach

What We Talk About When We Can't Talk About Love - BP, short for Boat Person, is living the good life to escape the trauma of fleeing Vietnam

5A, 5B, DEST:SGN - A man and a woman sitting together on a flight to Saigon share an emotionally intimate moment as the man tells the story of his first star-crossed love

Muni Diaries - A man has a boyhood friendship where his friend masturbated in a movie theater and wiped some of his cum on his pants as a token of friendship. For years the man questions his sexuality before coming out as gay. Then, a successful corporate lawyer, he tries stripping on the side to satisfy the yearning ache he's carried for his friend.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance review copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.