Que Mai Phan Nguyen

Dust Child follows several characters whose lives were shaped by the Vietnam War and its long aftermath. In 1969, young Trang and her sister leave their rural village for Saigon, hoping to earn money for their struggling family. There, Trang becomes involved with an American serviceman, an encounter that changes the course of her life. Decades later, Phong, a Vietnamese man born to a Vietnamese mother and an African American father, searches for a way to leave Vietnam with his family. Meanwhile, an American veteran returns to the country he once fought in, hoping to confront his memories and make amends. As their stories intersect, the novel examines the lasting effects of war on families, particularly those who were marginalised or abandoned. Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai explores identity, parenthood, prejudice, and the possibility of reconciliation across generations.

Spanning several decades of Vietnamese history, The Mountains Sing follows the Trần family through famine, political upheaval, land reform, and the Vietnam War. The story centres on grandmother Trần Diệu Lan, who is forced to flee her family farm with her six children during the land reforms of the 1950s. Years later, her young granddaughter Hương grows up in Hanoi as the war tears her family apart and sends her parents and uncles into battle. Through alternating perspectives, the novel reveals the extraordinary hardships endured by successive generations. While Hương tries to understand the world around her, Diệu Lan shares memories of loss, survival, and the choices she made to protect her children. Their relationship becomes a source of strength in a country where families have been divided by political loyalties, violence, and competing visions of the future. Drawing on Vietnamese history, folklore, poetry, and cultural traditions, Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai presents a deeply personal perspective on a conflict often portrayed internationally through foreign experiences. The novel explores the lasting consequences of war while celebrating the resilience of ordinary people, the bonds between generations, and the possibility of healing through remembrance and compassion.