I was very impressed with this debut novel. I thought the writing was excellent.

The novel follows our main character Ky as she finds out the news about her brother's death. As she travels back home she recounts her childhood and what it was like growing up with her brother Denny and best friend Minnie. As the book progresses, we get glimpses of how the paths their lives took brought us to the event of Denny's death.

Ky, who is a journalist sets out determined to figure out more details about how and why Denny was killed. This book was a great story about family dynamics and trauma and show how it can continue to get carried forward for generations.

This did not keep my interest and was a hard to follow story. There were many characters that their relationship was confusing.

In 1996 Ky Tran, a Vietnamese-Australian reporter, returns home after the murder of her younger brother. The police have done little to investigate the killing, so Ky attempts to locate and interview all of the possible witnesses. The narration skillfully alternates between Ky and each of the potential witnesses. This heartbreaking novel reveals the difficulties of trying to assimilate to the anti-Asian racist Australian culture in the midst of a heroin epidemic. Ky uncovers past secrets as she solves the mystery. The author provides an excellent portrayal of the Vietnamese immigrant experience.

I learned so much about the Vietnamese community in Australia from this book. It makes sense there would be a large population there given its geographic proximity to Vietnam, but naively, I had never considered this. I live in an area with a large Vietnamese American population, so reading about the community in Cabramatta was fascinating. Overall, a solid read and I was interested in the complex relationships between all the characters.

I really liked how this book dealt with grief and how different people react outwardly differently to death. It was frustrating how the character struggled to get people to hear and understand her. I loved the flow of the book and the ending.

After the violent murder of her younger brother, Ky Tran returns to her home in Cabramatta, Australia, a suburb of Sydney known as the "heroin capital of Australia." Upon learning that her parents had refused an autopsy and that the police had no leads or suspects, despite the murder having taken place at a populated restaurant, Ky - a journalist - offers to help the police by speaking to the witnesses to try to piece together what really happened to her brother.

Although this is categorized as a thriller, I would argue that it is more of a literary family drama/cultural heritage story with a bit of mystery thrown in. Set in an area of Australia populated by Vietnamese immigrants following the Vietnam War, the story alternates between Ky's perspective and those of the witnesses she speaks to, weaving in and out of their lives, touching on the trauma, suspicions, expectations, and longheld cultural beliefs they carry with them. Ky has to navigate through the lives of all these people while questioning how well she really knew her brother, to whom she was very close, and whether or not he was still the kind, high-achieving, "good" boy she grew up with.

This was a great exploration of a community and a family equal parts connected and devastated by both a shared culture and a tragic crime. Every character had their own unique voice and backstory, but they were presented in a way that enhanced, rather than detracted from the overall plot. This was well-written, fast-paced, and engaging, and I couldn't put it down.

Ky (pronounced Key) was raised by her immigrant Vietnamese parents, along with her younger brother Denny. Ky and her best friend Minnie are inseparable growing up with Minnie going home every day after school with Ky and Denny. As they grow older Minnie starts to gravitate towards the bad crowd, and crowd Ky will not have anything to do with. Ky ends up moving away once she finishes school When Ky’s parents call her to ask if she thinks it’s a good idea to let Denny hang out a little later after his graduation night, Ky tells them to let him to allow it as he has been such a great kid, who gets excellent grades. When Denny ends up murdered Ky rushes back home to Australia to find out what happened as her parents have minimal information. As Ky starts digging into what happened with Denny, she meets a lot of people who are afraid to talk. The Vietnamese community is close and someone should know something, but Ky keeps coming upon roadblocks. More determined than ever Ky won’t let roadblocks get in her way. Her guilt for moving away, and living her life, is filling Ky with dread and fueling her determination. As secrets as exposed Ky finds out that the murderer may be closer than she thinks.

I really enjoyed this book. This is my first book reading about a Vietnamese family and community. I enjoyed learning about the culture and the inner workings of the community. This is a great read with a really good storyline. Thank you Scene of the Crime and William Morrow Books for this ARC. Definitely recommend.

My original thought with this book is that we would be immersed in a murder mystery but it definitely turned out to be way more than that. Although the mystery was definitely anti-climatic for me, the story really takes a dive into community, sense of belonging, and Asian racism in the city of Cabramatta.

Ky returns home after the sudden death of her brother Denny. On her quest to discover what really happened to him, we hear so many different perspectives from her family, estranged best friend, and those that were present during her brother's death. We get their accounts, but we their life experiences are also weaved into the narrative; many as refugees, and others who are too young to remember but also don't feel comfortable in a space they've lived in their whole lives.

The reveal left a lot to be desired, but I realized that it wasn't really about the act, but about the people and that's what made the story an interesting read. I do think it was a little long winded in some areas but it was intriguing and I did learn more from the Asian perspective in terms of discrimination and belonging.

**Thanks to William Morrow for the galley in exchange for my review.**

I couldn't put it down and I didn't want to. This book lived up to every ounce of hype that I had experienced for it. This book is beautifully written; a gripping storyline with strong characters. It ticked all the boxes of my expectations. I would definitely recommend it to others.

This is a wonderful book! I looked forward to each chapter with interest and emotional investment. It is one I recommend to my friends!

This book was intriguing and inspiring. I enjoyed this as a first read from this author. I would like to read more by her.

I thought the idea of this was really interesting but couldn’t get into it. I really tried but after about 3.5 long chapters I couldn’t do it. I really didn’t like it on audio.

I enjoyed this book. The character development was great. The book really highlighted the struggles of Vietnamese immigrants in Cabramatta, Sydney. I was first intrigued because I thought it would be a murder mystery, but the inner struggle of the main character (not fitting in, struggling to be perfect for her parents) made this book a quick and interesting read.

This is a new to me author and I have to say I am looking forward to reading more by this author! I loved this book

I absolutely adore Tracey Lien's writing. Though I did not identify personally with the characters, the way Lien wrote them was evoking of so much empathy. A must-read story.

This is one of those books that everyone should read, as it’s filled with such depth and poignancy of the Vietnamese culture and community.
When Ky Tran discovered her strait laced brother was murdered in a popular Vietnamese restaurant and no one was speaking to the police, she was determined to find the reason behind his death.

Ky Tran is called by her parents to ask if they should let her younger brother out to celebrate for his high school graduation and she said let him go. But then he is murdered that night in a busy restaurant and she regrets saying that. They try to figure out what happened and how he was in the wrong place.

I enjoyed this book and read it pretty quick. It pulled you into the story and you wonder what is going on!

I really enjoyed this debut novel. Thank you to Book Club Girls for putting it on my radar. I really enjoyed being able to see the immigrant experience in a non US setting. In spots, I found the dialogue to be a little lacking but overall I enjoyed being able to see this new perspective and look forward to more of Lien's work.

Pub date: 9/13/22
Genre: literary fiction, ownvoices
One sentence summary: In 1990s Sydney, Ky's brother Denny is killed inside a restaurant full of witnesses, but Ky will have to fight their silence to find out what really happened.

Family dramas are some of my favorite books to read, especially when they open my eyes to communities I'm unfamiliar with. Lien transported me to 1990s Australia, a district called Cabramatta filled with refugees, including Ky's and other Vietnamese families. We see Ky in past and present - in the past, she drifts from best friend Minnie, in the present, she's trying to understand what happened to Denny. Denny was a good kid, smart, kind, and funny - how could such a tragedy have happened? The suspense of Ky's investigation helped move the plot forward, but I would describe this more as a character-driven than a plot-driven novel.

Lien captured the immigrant experience and the feeling of otherness so well - I found myself highlighting long passages on my kindle. The writing was beautiful and filled with emotion, and I will look out for more from Tracey Lien. 4.5 stars rounded to 5 (extra .5 given that this is a debut!)

Thank you to William Morrow and @Bookclubgirl for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a unique read changing the narrative from the main character to the witnesses, I love alternating perspectives and always find it refreshing.