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Pros: There was the sense that Grazina and Hai really cared for one another/How Hai helped Grazina through the rough nights was touching but at the same time, unnerving/Hai's relationships with the others who work at Home Market are all touching in their own ways.
Cons: I think I wanted more history behind his childhood, what may have happened that led him to start using pills to escape reality though, sometimes there is no reason, unfortunately/Though Hai was a complex character, there were times where I wanted to shake him for his lies and deceit.
Full Review
In the backwoods of Connecticut, Hai, a twenty-something year old, who's dangerously depressed, has decided to end his life. He stands on the ruts of a bridge that overlooks the Connecticut River and considers jumping, that is, until he sees something in the water. At first he's horrified, thinking it's a body but when he looks closer, he realizes it's a dress. And he can hear someone yelling. Through the rain he sees an old woman, struggling to capture her clothes that have been blown off the line by the storm.
She calls to him, telling him not to jump, that if he jumps and kills himself on her front door, it'll be a whole lot of nuisance for her. So, he decides to climb down and takes her up on her offer of a warm cup of tea.
Her name is Grazina. She's a Lithuanian immigrant who escaped to America during WWII. Her mind is going and she's on a pharmacy of medications to try and keep her lucid. She lives alone and decides that she wants Hai to live with her, since he has nowhere to go and she could use the help.
He agrees, a bit reluctantly, not sure what the catch is but, as time progresses, there really is no catch. He and Grazina form a strong, heartfelt, genuine bond and he's there for her, even on the roughest nights.
Since he's not actually a health care worker, he knows he needs to get a job. And he does so at a Home Market in the town. His cousin, Sony, who he grew up with but hasn't spoken to in years, works there as well as a motley crew of other unique and interesting characters. Hai starts building a life for himself, though through it all, he's been living with a lie that sits like a cement block on his chest. And he never seems to be able to fully come clean.
This book was depressing but also incredibly genuine and heartfelt. Every character had their strengths and weaknesses, every storyline had its ups and downs. All of it was laid out bare by Vuong and though the end was as depressing as I knew it would be, it worked. This whole book was a beautiful and emotional study of the bonds we form with family, found family and friends.
I'll be picking up more of Vuong's books very soon.
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