Carolyn Huynh is the master of flawed, messy characters coming back home to contend with their past.

We have a strong cast of characters: Duc, the father and the immigrant who achieved the American Dream through his chain of banh mi shops; Huey Ngo, Duc's best friend and constant companion; Evelyn, the mother, who left her family over a decade ago; Connie, Duc's second wife; and the five kids - Jude, Jane, Bingo, Patricia, and Georgia.

This family is a mess. Duc has always been a distant father, made more distant by the disappearance of Evelyn. Because of this, the siblings are also plagued with problems - kids who had to grow up too fast, some who were burdened with too much and others with too little, and they all return to Houston, Texas when Duc issues an inheritance challenge. The challenge for the eldest son, Jude, is to get married before year end. In contrast, the sisters are challenged to make one of Duc's banh mi shops successful again. As a result, Jude and Jane end up in Houston, Bingo in Philly, Patricia in San Jose, and Georgia in New Orleans.

I loved the challenge and how they all kind of lean on each kid's area of weakness or vulnerability. I say kids as if they're literal children, but they range from 22 (Georgia, the youngest) to 34 (Jude, the oldest). Each one has their own traumas to contend with and had something to reckon with in their assigned city as they worked through and beyond the challenge given to them. I also found the POV swapping interesting and who got first-person voice. It's hard to really get into it without spoilers, but know that each element lent itself to the wider picture in some way and it was masterfully done.

The book also explored the history of Vietnamese immigrants in Houston, Texas during/after the war in Vietnam. From the racism they experience, to the involvement of the KKK, and the fear and determination of that generation to get to each new day, the storytelling of Duc, Huey, and Evelyn's past was painful and full of trauma, but also showed their grit as they found their way through the chaos to the other side, though they weren't left unscathed by their past.

At the end, we see how these nine characters' lives loop through and impact each other and perfectly put together the puzzle of the Tran family. I adored how everything fell into place and the way it all came together in a mix of hilarity and meddling machinations.

Carolyn Huynh is now an auto-buy author for me. This book was fantastic in the way it dealt with generational trauma, the question of legacy, family strife, and being a child of the diaspora. All the stars, this is one to read in 2025!

TW: alcohol, racism, white supremacy, death, gun violence, depression, panic attack, fire; mentions infidelity, pregnancy 

Plot: 5/5
Characters: 4.5/5
World Building: 5/5
Writing: 5/5
Pacing: 5/5
Overall: 5/5

eARC gifted via NetGalley by Atria Books in exchange for an honest review.