Synopses & Reviews
Cherry Truong's parents have exiled her wayward older brother from their Southern California home, sending him to Vietnam to live with distant relatives. Determined to bring him back, twenty-one-year-old Cherry travels to their homeland and finds herself on a journey to uncover her family's decades-old secrets — hidden loves, desperate choices, and lives ripped apart by the march of war and currents of history.
The Reeducation of Cherry Truong tells the story of two fierce and unforgettable families, the Truongs and the Vos: their harrowing escape from Vietnam after the war, the betrayal that divided them, and the stubborn memories that continue to bind them years later, even as they come to terms with their hidden sacrifices and bitter mistakes. Kim-Ly, Cherry's grandmother, once wealthy and powerful in Vietnam, now struggles to survive in Little Saigon, California without English or a drivers license. Cherry's other grandmother Hoa, whose domineering husband has developed dementia, discovers a cache of letters from a woman she thought had been left behind. As Cherry pieces their stories together, she uncovers the burden of her familys love and the consequences of their choices.
Set in Vietnam, France, and the United States, Aimee Phan's sweeping debut novel reveals a family still yearning for reconciliation, redemption, and a place to call home.
Review
Praise for THE REEDUCATION OF CHERRY TRUONG: “The Reeducation of Cherry Truong explores the intersection of history and human hearts. With tenderness and wisdom, this intricately woven tale presents a world both mysterious and familiar to readers. Aimee Phan is a keen observer and a beautiful writer.” -Yiyun Li, author of The Vagrants “The Reeducation of Cherry Truong is a powerful debut novel about reverse migration, the new American immigrant story. Cherry Truong's attempt to reconnect to her mother's family reaches around the world, from America to Vietnam to France, and reinvents what she knows of her family's history and her world. And with this novel, Aimee Phan reinvents what we know of ours at the same time.” --Alexander Chee, author of Edinburgh: A Novel “A story of loyalties, histories, and identities, The Reeducation of Cherry Truong explores multiple generations of the Truong and Vos families. Touching on the events of the Vietnam War, cultural assimilation, reconciliation, forgiveness, and redemption, Phan crafts an epic tale. Through Cherrys eyes, the complex country of Vietnam is lovingly explored in immense, realistic detail. Readers of Maxine Hong Kingston and Gish Jen will enjoy Phans sensitive, lush prose and recognize similar questions of identity.” --Booklist "Powerful debut novel…Phan's lyrical narrative captures the yearning that one feels in seeking a place to call home and the dichotomy inherent in assimilation and preservation of cultural traditions. Her novel marks a triumphant debut in contemporary Asian-American literature." --Shelf Awareness “Phans gifts are considerable, and the novel is at its best in exposing the dark underside of family relationships while simultaneously creating many sympathetic, realistic characters." --Hyphen Magazine Praise for WE SHOULD NEVER MEET: "Luminously written." --The Oregonian "In gorgeously liquid prose, Phan gives us deep insight into contemporary Vietnamese-American life. Splendid and passionate." --Chris Offutt, author of No Heroes "Phan gives voice to the voiceless and makes them speak for us all."--Robert Olen Butler, author of A Good Scent from a Strange Mountain and Hell "Phan charts [these] journeys with acuity, sensitivity, [and] wisdom." --Los Angeles Times
Review
"Aimee Phan is a keen observer and a beautiful writer."---Yiyun Li, author of
The Vagrants "Phans sensitively rendered novel serves up a fierce tale….She explores themes of identity, love, and redemption with a nuanced grace."---Audrey magazine
"A story of loyalties, histories, and identities…Through Cherrys eyes, the complex country of Vietnam is lovingly explored in immense, realistic detail. Readers of Maxine Hong Kingston and Gish Jen will enjoy Phans sensitive, lush prose and recognize similar questions of identity."---Booklist "A readers dream---a fully fleshed-out family drama full of complex characters and enough old grudges for a host of mafiosi. No one is spared Phans eagle-eyed vision….A truly unique coming-of-age story."---Rebecca Johns, author of The Countess
Synopsis
A young woman journeys back to Vietnam to uncover family secrets — in this first novel from the author of
We Should Never Meet.
Cherry Truong's older brother has been exiled to live with distant relatives in Vietnam. As Cherry journeys from Los Angeles to her family's homeland to bring him back, she embarks on a quest to uncover the mysteries and lies in her family's past — hidden loves, desperate choices, and lives torn apart by the march of war and currents of history. Spanning three generations, The Reeducation of Cherry Truong tells the sweeping stories of the Truong and Vos families, their escape from Vietnam during the war, the forces that separated them, and the ties that bind them over three continents.
Aimee Phan's debut novel introduces readers to a fiercely defiant family who still yearn for reconciliation and redemption in each others hearts.
Synopsis
Cherry Truongs parents have exiled her wayward older brother from their Southern California home, sending him to Vietnam to live with distant relatives. Determined to bring him back, twenty-one-year-old Cherry travels to their homeland and finds herself on a journey to uncover her familys decades-old secrets—hidden loves, desperate choices, and lives ripped apart by the march of war and currents of history.
The Reeducation of Cherry Truong tells the story of two fierce and unforgettable families, the Truongs and the Vos: their harrowing escape from Vietnam after the war, the betrayal that divided them, and the stubborn memories that continue to bind them years later, even as they come to terms with their hidden sacrifices and bitter mistakes. Kim-Ly, Cherrys grandmother, once wealthy and powerful in Vietnam, now struggles to survive in Little Saigon, California without English or a drivers license. Cherrys other grandmother Hoa, whose domineering husband has developed dementia, discovers a cache of letters from a woman she thought had been left behind. As Cherry pieces their stories together, she uncovers the burden of her familys love and the consequences of their choices.
Set in Vietnam, France, and the United States, Aimee Phans sweeping debut novel reveals a family still yearning for reconciliation, redemption, and a place to call home.
Synopsis
"The Reeducation of Cherry Truong transcends ethnicity and culture and dives headlong into the plight of being human….Aimee Phans prose is beautifully intricate yet powerful in what it reveals and exposes."---Jennie Shortridge, author of Eating HeavenCherry Truongs parents have exiled her wayward older brother from their Southern California home, sending him to Vietnam to live with distant relatives. Determined to bring him back, twenty-one-year-old Cherry travels to her familys native country and finds herself on a journey to uncover decades-old secrets---hidden loves, desperate choices, and lives ripped apart by the march of war and the currents of history.The Reeducation of Cherry Truong is the sweeping story of two spirited and unforgettable families---the Truongs and the Vos---and their yearning for reconciliation, redemption, and a place to call home.
About the Author
Aimee Phan grew up in Orange County, California, and now teaches in the MFA Writing Program and Writing and Literature Program at California College of the Arts. A 2010 National Endowment of the Arts Creative Writing Fellow, Aimee received her MFA from the Iowa Writer's Workshop, where she won a Maytag Fellowship. Her first book, We Should Never Meet, was named a Notable Book by the Kiryama Prize in fiction and a finalist for the 2005 Asian American Literary Awards. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times, USA Today, and The Oregonian among others.