The Queen of Annam's Daughter

What is it like to leave your native country and language in order to save your life? Anh Truong knows. She was a street-smart girl in war-torn Vietnam, barely made it out of the chaos of Saigon before it fell, and here she is in California, where the sun always shines and everyone is mellow, everyone is easy, everyone can be figured out. She learns fast. She hustles and cajoles and finds love. Maybe she speaks a funny English and maybe she sometimes pushes too hard, but compared to Vietnam, America is easy. Until she realizes that someone from her past is trying to destroy everyone she loves and it will take all her smarts to figure out who it is.

*May Contain Spoilers*

Revenge is in the cards for the main character of Nina Vida's novel, The Queen of Annam's Daughter. After Anh left Vietnam, she decided to leave the war behind her, but the war refused to let her leave. 

Anh Truong is a Vietnamese women trying to live beyond the war that wrecked her homeland of Vietnam. She's a strong woman who overcame forced prostitution, death, and loss. Her story is a harrowing one that will not only intrigue readers, but will also bring about an empathetic response. The main plot line of the novel revolves around Anh's daughter, who she calls Girl, being kidnapped. Anh has no idea who took her, but now it seems that everyone is a threat -- even people she's known for years. As Anh does everything in her power to find Girl, the death count rises. And the only thing the dead bodies have in common is knowing Anh. 

This novel is a mystery that has two main unknowns: who took Girl and why is someone killing Anh's friends and family? As the book progresses, readers will learn about Anh as if they were also one of her friends. Anh is a fast-talking, deal-making, service-offering tornado of a woman who is always focused on the next thing. She tends to ramble and babble, often saying things she shouldn't. Her blunt nature a force that works both for and against her. Readers will definitely find some facets of Anh's personality abrasive, but I think it makes her a more rounded character. She has obvious flaws, but when her inner personality is revealed, her caring nature is adamant. It seems all the hard work she does is for others and this reveals a very giving person underneath all the harsh words and cutting advice. Losing a child in itself is a terrifying thing and the situation adds to the empathy that readers will feel for Anh. 

The plot of The Queen of Annam's Daughter is thoroughly fleshed out. Each suspect that Anh discovers is investigated and their secrets are also revealed. Between most of the chapters there are also sections that take place in Vietnam, before Anh escaped for America, and these lend an authenticity to the story. Nina Vida does a wonderful job in pulling the reader into the Vietnamese culture as well as entertaining them with the story of Anh's kidnapped daughter. I would recommend this book to readers who enjoy mystery, suspense, and historical genres. 

Rating: 4/5 Cups

The Collection of Heng Souk

When her father dies, Sun Tieng visits his estranged brother, Heng Souk. Yet her frail, elderly uncle, a Vietnamese War hero, is very different from her tough and testing father. When she discovers in his house a notebook written by American POW, Ephraim Luther, detailing his torture by the prison commandant she is startled by what she learns.

Meanwhile, Thomas Allen, still reeling from the death of his daughter and the breakup of his marriage, is told that the man he always called Dad was not his father. His mother gives him a batch of letters she still has from the ‘real’ father, Jefferson Carlisle. Their tragic love story prompts Thomas to find out why his mother’s ‘greatest love’ never returned to her after the Vietnam War.

His search leads him to the notorious prison ‘the Citadel’, and to Sun and her uncle. Despite the hostility of her brutal husband and mother, Sun is drawn to Thomas. Aware that the fate of Thomas’ father is revealed in Ephraim’s notebook, she is torn between helping Thomas in his search and the damaging effect revealing what is in the notebook will mean for them

*May Contain Spoilers*

S.R. Wilsher takes readers on a journey of discovery in his novel, The Collection of Heng Souk. Two people, separated by culture and countries, come together to find the truth hidden in history which takes them both on an excursion to explore their inner strength. 

Sun and Thomas are the two main characters of the novel. Sun is the wife of a manipulative and controlling police officer whom she doesn't love. She struggles to make peace with her past and the secrets that her mother kept since her childhood. Readers will enjoy Sun's perspective and her challenging character. They will connect with Sun through her journey to discover her inner strength. With her Uncle's help, Sun uncovers family secrets and grows into a woman who can stand alone against those who try to oppress her. 

Thomas also discovers family secrets that send him to a different country and a different time. Readers will immediately empathize with Thomas as it's revealed that his daughter drowned and his wife divorced him, leaving him empty and numb to the world. The journey to learn what happened to his real father brings Thomas back to life, his eyes open. He slowly begins to see the that the world still has more to offer, even after his life crumbled around him. Readers will emotionally connect with Thomas as they watch him wake up from his painful past. 

There are two plot lines that come together in a rather surprising and climactic way. Sun finds herself reading the journal of an American prisoner of war and is compelled to know the man her Uncle was, as well as the man he became. Thomas searches for the truth to what happened to his father after he left for the Vietnam war as an airman. When Sun and Thomas meet, they help each other find the strength to face the past and the courage to choose their own futures.  

Rating: 4/5 Cups