This was such a beautifully written collection of stories, some more vivid than others. An achingly sad current ran through all of them, while showing the liminal spaces in immigrant families fleeing war-torn Vietnam and the love that bound them together. There were also heartfelt explorations of what it meant to be a queer boy in conservative Vietnamese American culture.

Short fiction like this inspires me to write my own short fiction representing my experiences trying to live in the world and figure out my identity.

Some stories I could tell were written by a journalist turned creative writer. The emotional connection in many was subtle but powerful, hidden meanings wrapped in the spare prose.

Some were told in social media posts, others in speeches and stand-up comedy routines (hence some felt a bit more tell than show.) The formatting for these could be awkward to follow on an e-reader.

Some of the stories that stayed with me:

Agape at the Guggenheim - a man who's never been in love sees a handsome stranger at a museum and yearns for a missed connection

A Good Broth Takes its Time - Mrs. Tran's famous pho is a flavor that connects everyone who manages to find it with nostalgic memories of home

Love in the Time of the Beer Bug - In a pandemic a family barely holding it together takes a significant trip to the beach

What We Talk About When We Can't Talk About Love - BP, short for Boat Person, is living the good life to escape the trauma of fleeing Vietnam

5A, 5B, DEST:SGN - A man and a woman sitting together on a flight to Saigon share an emotionally intimate moment as the man tells the story of his first star-crossed love

Muni Diaries - A man has a boyhood friendship where his friend masturbated in a movie theater and wiped some of his cum on his pants as a token of friendship. For years the man questions his sexuality before coming out as gay. Then, a successful corporate lawyer, he tries stripping on the side to satisfy the yearning ache he's carried for his friend.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance review copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.