Eduardo Santiago
I doubt that either author intended this as a case study in intergenerational trauma and avoidant attachment, but there were few moments where those didn't feel front and center. N. Vo's story, from parental abandonment in childhood through war and exile and integration in a new country, med school hazing, and deaths of loved ones, forms a sobering complement to his daughter C. Vo's memoir of indecision, insecurity, and longing.
The alternating-voice gimmick is more effective than it has any right to be. Either memoir, taken on its own, would be powerful. Interwoven as they are, they're heartwrenching.
I doubt that either author intended this as a case study in intergenerational trauma and avoidant attachment, but there were few moments where those didn't feel front and center. N. Vo's story, from parental abandonment in childhood through war and exile and integration in a new country, med school hazing, and deaths of loved ones, forms a sobering complement to his daughter C. Vo's memoir of indecision, insecurity, and longing.
The alternating-voice gimmick is more effective than it has any right to be. Either memoir, taken on its own, would be powerful. Interwoven as they are, they're heartwrenching.