This book is incredible. A debut novel with family drama and I'm all in.

Ky takes it upon herself to find out what happened when her younger brother was murdered.

Yes, there's a murder mystery to solve but this is not a thriller. What we really get is a study on a Vietnamese immigrant group in Australia and the racism they deal with, a community beaten down in a huge heroin epidemic, and a group that is distrustful of the police. As a journalist, Ky uses her investigative skills to give the reader an inside look at her community.

The writing is a wonderful treat and the story completely engrossing. Despite the heavy nature of this book, I was so pleased to have read it. I feel like I learned a lot about a group of people in an area of the world I didn't know a lot about.

𝙈𝙮 𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4 stars)

𝙈𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨:

Generally I don’t like the “amateur detective” trope, but the way it was done here, it was perfect.

I’m not an immigrant myself, so I can only speak from what I’ve been told. Immigrants, and their children to a somewhat lesser extent, have an inherent distrust of the police. So in this book, having someone who is actually from and in the community try to talk to witnesses of a crime made perfect sense.

Apart from that… this book made me angry, and sad, and had me on the edge of my seat at times (not literally because my seat is my bed, but still).

I’ve seen the comparison between this book and Celeste Ng’s 𝙀𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙄 𝙉𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙏𝙤𝙡𝙙 𝙔𝙤𝙪. It’s an apt comparison, and I’d recommend this to anyone who enjoys Ms. Ng’s books.

Thank you to NetGalley, Harper Collins, William Morrow and Company and Tracey Lien for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

𝘼𝙡𝙡 𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙩’𝙨 𝙇𝙚𝙛𝙩 𝙐𝙣𝙨𝙖𝙞𝙙 is available now.

Yen and Hanh Tran escaped from Vietnam while the war there was raging. They eventually made their way to Australia, where they settled in a small town outside of Sydney, Cabramatta, and raised their family. Life is better in many ways, but it’s been hard for Yen and Hanh to let go of their pasts. When their son is murdered, they find those memories coming back with a vengeance.

Their daughter, Ky, is grown and a journalist in Melbourne. Returning home for his funeral is difficult for her. She never felt as if she fit in, except with her childhood best friend. But things changed as they hit their teens. While Ky strove to be a good person, finished high school, and headed off to college, Minnie got caught up in the local drug culture. That drug culture has a long-lasting effect on the family and on Cabramatta.

This is a book about immigrants, racism, bigotry, grief, guilt, alcoholism, and drugs and how people survive. How difficult it is to fit into a different culture. How immigrant families are often lacking in confidence.

This was a story of a family trying their hardest to do the right thing. They’re very good people caught in a difficult situation. What they go through is often heartbreaking. What’s always clear is how much this family loves each other.

All that’s left unsaid was a quick and easy to read book. It’s an excellent debut novel from author Tracey Lien. If it has a fault, it’s that throughout much of the book, emotion from the characters seems flat. It’s not until the ending of the book that it ramps up. Then it becomes powerful and brings true life to the characters.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley. I thank all involved for their generosity, but it had no effect on this review. All opinions in this review reflect my true and honest reactions to reading this book.

Rating 4.5/5
Plot 5/5
Writing 5/5
Character Development 4.5/5

[I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book]

“All That's Left Unsaid” by Tracey Lien tells the story of Ky Tran. Ky’s parents are refugee immigrants living in Cabramatta, in Sydney, When her parents call to ask if they should let her younger brother, Denny, go out to celebrate his high school graduation with friends, Ky says “just let him go”. That night, Denny is brutally murdered inside a restaurant. Ky returns home for Denny’s funeral and learns that the police are stumped by Denny’s case. A dozen people were at the restaurant when Denny died, but no one claims to have seen what happened. Ky is determined to figure out just what happened to her brother and this story alternates between Ky’s voice and the perspectives of the witnesses. This story is filled with important themes and topics that aren’t discussed enough and Tracey did a good job on her debut.

This book was so so so heartbreaking and beautiful. This was also such an important story and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. This book focuses on a lot of important themes and holds great discussions. Overall the novel was thought-provoking, intriguing, and a well-written debut!

A moving exploration of family, grief, community and what it means to call somewhere home. Full Review posted at BookBrowse: https://www.bookbrowse.com/mag/reviews/index.cfm/ref/pr289152

Although described as a mystery, I felt that this book was more informative and presented as a drama. This book presented an overview of Vietnamese persons who immigrated to Australia. It was difficult to read about the different types of discrimination that existed towards the Vietnamese people. However, it was equally difficult to read about the hardships and mistreatment that existed within the families themselves. As Ky seeks answers to her brother's death, we learn how each character's childhood foundation formed their adult life. Overall, a sad story revealing the hardships of diaspora and trying to balance two cultures.

Thank you to Book Club Girl for providing an electronic copy in return of my honest review.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to review!

Link to Instagram review post:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CivJjfkrvbl/

All That's Left Unsaid was incredibly moving and beautifully written. I was captivated by the mystery as we follow the journey of Ky Tran to uncover the details of her brother's murder, and also by the rich descriptions of the characters and of the devastating heroine epidemic that shaped their lives. Reminiscent of of Celeste Ng's Everything I Never Told You, another 5 star book for me, I could not put this one down. All That's Left Unsaid is an amazing debut novel from Tracey Lien, many thanks to William Morrow and Custom House Books for the advance copy.

One sentence summary: After her younger brother is murdered inside a local restaurant, Ky returns home to uncover the truth of what happened while coming to terms with the choices she and her family have made in the past.

I enjoyed this book. While primarily told from Ky's POV, I liked how the story peppered in other POVs from the people who were at the restaurant that fateful night. I'd classify this one as a literary mystery and agree with others who have said it's a good book club selection as there are plenty of heavier topics included which would prompt discussion from colonialism, racism, the heroin epidemic and refugee communities. As an American I also appreciated reading about the Vietnamese immigrant experience in Australia....it's just not something I've come across in books or IRL.

Rating 4 stars

Special thanks to William Morrow and @Netgalley for the ARC of All That's Left Unsaid for review purposes. All opinions are my own.

Say it with me now...EMOTIONAL DAMAGE.

The book was insane. Deep. Thought provoking. Heartbreaking.

Ky, a Vietnamese-Australian, returns home to her family after her younger brother is murdered. Ky is determined to find out what happened to her brother since all the witnesses told police they didn't see anything.

This book was deep. The town Ky is from, Cabramatta, is riddled with crime and drugs. It's a refugee haven. The police force don't care.

Honestly this book is being marketed as a thriller but I'd say this is just straight fiction with a little bit of mystery. This book took me days to get through because I had to keep stopping. Honestly I learned a lot about Australia and the refugees who fled during the Vietnam War.

ALL THAT'S LEFT UNSAID is an emotional debut that gets right down to the nitty gritty with complex characters and a heartbreaking story. Everyone should pick this book up.

All That's Left Unsaid takes us to the Cabramatta suburb of Sydney, Australia in 1996, where the heroin epidemic is firmly entrenched, along with racism and discrimination against refugees from Vietnam.
After the shocking murder of her younger brother, Denny, Ky comes home to mourn with her parents. The official police investigation seems to be a superficial one and Ky decides to apply her journalism training to try and learn what really happened. All That's Left Unsaid is a story of regrets, cultural differences, immigration and the struggles to adapt and survive in a new country. There's also plenty of conflict - between Ky and her parents; older Vietnamese people and the younger generation and Australian citizens and the recent immigrants.
As the story unfolds, we learn that each family member has regrets about their relationship with Denny and they each attempt, in their own way, to make peace with this and with his death. The book focuses on Ky, but I thought her parents were the most poignant characters, and ones you could see develop throughout the course of the book.
All That's Left Unsaid is a wonderful debut novel by Ms. Lien and I look forward to her next book. Thanks to the Book Club Girl Early Read Program, William Morrow and Netgalley for the opportunity to read All That's Left Unsaid!

All That’s Left Unsaid by Tracey Lien is a family drama/mystery following a Vietnamese Australian family after the murder of their youngest son. Ky Tran returns home to Cabramatta after her brother Denny has been murdered. Her family seems intent on not looking further into the murder, even declining an autopsy, but Ky is determined to learn more. She starts retracing Denny’s steps and connecting with the witnesses. As she learns more she starts to weave the web and understand that it is all connected and somehow bigger than her brothers death.

So much of this book is an exploration of the immigrant experience and community. I enjoyed it but felt that it was, at times, unfocused and missing the plot. Overall, I did enjoy it and it was refreshing to hear from a new to me POV.

Thank you to Netgalley and William Morrow - All That’s Left Unsaid is out now!

This was beautiful and absolutely heartbreaking debut from Tracey Lien. The novel takes place in the 90s in Cabramatta, an area of Australia where many Vietnamese immigrants landed after fleeing their country in the 70s. Ky Tran has grown up and moved away when her family calls her to explain her younger brother, Denny was murdered at a graduation celebration. Her parents don’t speak English well and they don’t get all the facts from the police.

Ky is a journalist by profession and she returns to Cabramatta to find out what happened to her super smart, straight laced brother. Since the police aren’t really investigating, they give Ky a list of witnesses she uses to interview people and get the facts of what happened to Denny.

This book was so good! I learned so much about Vietnamese culture and what it was like for an immigrant family. Drugs were rampant in this area of Australia during the 90s and it’s immediately assumed her brother was using hard drugs. I like the use of different POVs and even different timelines to enhance the story. Some sections followed different people and it’s proof that you don’t always know what people are dealing with behind closed doors. I couldn’t put this book down, I had to know what happened.

All That’s Left Unsaid is on sale now and would make a great book club discussion choice. I highly recommend.

Thank you so much to @bibliolifestyle, @hellotraceylien and @williammorrowbooks for my gifted copy!

One of the things I value most about reading is the windows it opens to people and places that are different from my own experience, especially when told by an #ownvoices (debut!) author. ALL THAT’S LEFT UNSAID highlights a Vietnamese-Australian immigrant experience that I had never read about before.

After the murder of Ky’s younger brother on prom night, she returns to her small Vietnamese-Australian community to find answers. The story is told from multiple POVs from people who witnessed the murder. I paired the book with the full-cast audio which brought the story to life.

I appreciated the way Tracey Lein explored familial ties, cultural expectations, and sibling devotion. You’ll want to add this to your TBR if contemplative family dramas are your thing!

RATING: 4/5
PUB DATE: September 13, 2022

Many thanks to William Morrow and NetGalley for an electronic ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Beautifully told and thoroughly immersive, this literary mystery follows a rookie reporter on a quest to get justice for her slain sibling. After growing up in fear and resentment of authority, Ky Tran worked to put distance between herself and the Vietnamese Australian community she grew up in. But when her straight-arrow 17-year-old brother Denny dies violently, she can’t help being drawn back in. Ky has skills and access to people who don’t trust and want nothing to do with the indifferent, all-white official investigation. Lien, a former journalist, exposes the conditional nature of the welcome afforded to Asian immigrants in ostensibly liberal places, delivering an irresistible combination of hard truths and heart-wrenching drama.

𝗔𝗟𝗟 𝗧𝗛𝗔𝗧’𝗦 𝗟𝗘𝗙𝗧 𝗨𝗡𝗦𝗔𝗜𝗗 is a very fitting title for Tracey Lein’s debut, the sad story of a Vietnamese family who immigrated to Australia in the 1980’s. Ky Tran was six at the time, while her brother Denny was born in the Sydney suburb inhabited by many Southeast Asian immigrants. Ky spent her life trying to live up to her mother’s high expectations and her father’s alcohol induced ennui, while also functioning as their translator for the English speaking population around them. Between them all, much was left unsaid, compelling Ky to flee for college, only returning for the briefest of visits. That changed on the eve of her brother’s high school graduation when he was brutally killed. ⁣
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𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵’𝘴 𝘓𝘦𝘧𝘵 𝘜𝘯𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 is the story of Ky’s desperate search to find the reason for her brother’s murder, friendships lost, and her own disconnect from her parents. This was not a fast-paced nor a happy book, but it was a heart-felt one that really made me think about the tough road often faced by immigrants, especially children. I thought Lein did a great job juxtaposing Ky’s duty to her dependent Vietnamese parents, and her own desire to fit in as an Australian. I also liked the mystery elements around her brother’s death, though I guessed what had happened early on. I thought this was a solid debut and would definitely read what Lein writes next. ⭐️⭐️⭐️.75⁣
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Many thanks to @williammorrowbooks for an ARC of #AllThatsLeftUnsaid which releases tomorrow!

This was not exactly the book I expected it to be, but it was still a beautifully written and important book. I am very glad I read it.

Synopsis: 17 year old Danny Tran is murdered at a local restaurant in Cabramatta, Australia. He was the son of Vietnamese refugees, who are distrustful of the police. Further, the dozen or so witnesses at the restaurant aren't talk because they, too, do not trust the police. Therefore, it is up to his older sister, Ky, to figure out what happened. With each encounter, she learns more about her brother, herself, and her community. Alternating between Ky's voice and the perspectives of the witnesses, this debut touches on themes of friendship, family, community, and grief.

Thoughts: Although advertised as a mystery, this is absolutely a character-driven story that has a mystery foundation. At times, the alternating perspectives and shifts between past and present were a little bit disorienting; however, as I kept reading I got used to these shifts. Additionally, the chapters were a little long, and the content was heavy. Still, this story highlights the refugee experience and the impact that drugs, such as heroin, can have on a community, especially its poorest and most vulnerable members. This was a strong debut from Lien, and I will be thinking about some of her messages for a long time.

Read if you like:
-Refugee stories
-Celeste Ng's work
-Long Bright River

First off, I think I missed out on some crucial context simply by the fact that I am not Australian and I don't know the reputation of Cabramatta apart from what I gathered from context. I can make comparisons to places in the US that seem similar, but it would all be based on assumption and there are likely some nuanced bits that I'd still be missing out on. Keeping that in mind, I think Tracey Lien still did a good job of painting a vivid picture around the setting of this novel. Through various voices, the place was fleshed out and crucially, I got a sense of some of the challenges faced by the Vietnamese refugees and their Australia-born offspring that led to the main question the protagonist was trying to answer-- "What happened to my brother the night he was killed?" From its description, you might think this was more of a murder mystery, but instead, the main question this novel brought up was, "What happened to/in this community that things would unfold this way?" There isn't a straightforward answer, but this question leads to larger questions that deserve some thought too.

Thanks to William Morrow for the free book.
This was a heart-breaking, yet beautiful debut. Lien captures grief and the desire to figure out what happened in this Australia town that is being taken over by the opioid epidemic. Ky wants to figure out what happened to her brother, Denny. What I liked about this novel was the format. Between Ky's chapters, the author tells the story from the POV of the people in the restaurant where Denny was killed - where each character saw nothing. I liked how this gave insight to the community and everything happening there while also slowly unfolding this mystery. Each character was also influenced by their link to Vietnam and immigrating to Australia. I liked the slow unfolding and thought it added intrigue and gave some depth to the story. This was a heavy debut that captured so many nuances that kept me engaged. It is out now!

A stunning debut, Tracey Lien tells the devastating story of an immigrant Vietnamese family, who has lost a promising, intelligent teenage boy, to a senseless crime that cannot be explained. This story is centered around the complicated family relations of the Tran family and the Cabramatta community, brought about by the murder of a beloved member of the family.

I felt so profoundly seen, reading about the relationship between Ky and her mother. The difficulties in navigating mother/daughter dynamics, the cultural and communication gaps that exist, and the different life experiences that alter how one behaves produce such an insurmountable obstacle to feeling a true connection. The inner dialogues Ky has are extremely relatable and eloquent. I wanted to highlight almost entire chapters and use them as tools for other people to understand the thoughts and feelings I have had throughout my life. The parallels and similarities between the Asian-Australian and Asian-American experiences are endlessly compelling to me. Learning about the real melting pot town of Cabramatta was also fascinating.

I also really enjoyed reading the story from the perspectives of different witnesses. It offered a more comprehensive and in-depth look at the Vietnamese community, while still focusing on the main story.

Fans of Miracle Creek and Celeste Ng will absolutely love this debut. I'm very excited about this new author and what she will write next.