My Mother, the Mermaid Chaser

Gr 9 Up–This companion to My Father, the Panda Killer shines and gives depth to the story of resilience, family, and forgiveness. The action takes place years after the first novel as Paul, 16, visits Vietnam with his father. Having endured a turbulent upbringing in a home without their mother, Paul and his sister Jane have nothing but resentment for the woman who left them so long ago, but of whom they know so little about. On this trip to their family’s homeland, Paul not only learns about his mother’s survival, he also meets the grandmother he didn’t know he had. Connecting with people he’s never met but who have shaped his life, Paul learns just how much ghosts and spirits play a role in everyday life. In dual timelines, the story is alternatingly told from the points of view of Paul, who faces the challenges of being an American-born Vietnamese who is back in Vietnam, and Ngoc Lan, whose life is shattered by the Vietnam War, as she escapes as a refugee but loses the most important people in her life. In devastating detail, readers learn about the destruction brought upon Vietnam by the war and how much was lost; the trauma endured by so many people manifests in a myriad of ways, including PTSD. Of note is the handy list of characters in the back of the book, which helps readers understand the characters’ relationships to one another, as well as a list of Vietnamese honorifics that is useful for readers who are new to the language. This story is a triumph of endurance, family, magical realism, and forgiveness.