In their quest to pursue the American dream, first-generation Asian-Americans may find themselves torchbearers for the dashed hopes and dreams of their parents and ancestors, often at the sacrifice of their own identity. Such is the crossroads that young Cherry finds herself treading in Aimee Phan's powerful debut novel, The Reeducation of Cherry Truong.
As the first American-born child, Cherry serves as the conduit by which the intergenerational tale of the Vo and Truong families is told. When the Truongs flee South Vietnam, patriarch Hung Truong secures the passage of his immediate family to Paris, seemingly abandoning his younger son's in-laws, the Vos, who take this sleight to heart. Sanh Truong defies his proud father by taking his family to the United States at the urging of his wife, who hopes to eventually attain passage for her own family. The Vos settle in Orange County's Little Saigon, where they--as well as the Truongs in Paris--must eventually come to terms with their family secrets.
Phan skillfully shows how Cherry becomes caught in the crossfire of Vo ambition and Truong apathy; it's only when Cherry embarks for Vietnam, searching for the answers to the mysteries of her family's past, that she begins the process of healing and reconciliation.
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 provides marks a triumphant debut in contemporary Asian-American literature. --Nancy Powell, freelance writer