Short Girls, Bich Minh Nguyen
Short Girls, Bich Minh Nguyen
List: $14.99 | Sale: $10.50
Club: $7.49

Short Girls

Author: Bich Minh Nguyen

Narrator: Alice H. Kennedy

Unabridged: 8 hr 32 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 07/23/2009

Categories: Fiction, Women


Synopsis

Van and Linny Luong are temperamental opposites. Diligent, unassuming Van has found her calling as an immigration lawyer in the midwestern suburbs, but no one knows that her picture-perfect marriage has suddenly evaporated. Her younger sister, Linny, fashion-forward and socially adept, lives in Chicago where she has drifted into a dead-end affair with a married man. Though both women feel untethered and burdened by a secret, they’ve never been able to confide in each other. But then, after nearly thirty years in the U.S., their eccentric, invention-obsessed father decides to take the citizenship oath—a rite of passage he hopes will improve the prospects of his most prized creation, the “Luong Arm,” an instrument to help short people grasp objects that are out of reach. When Van and Linny reluctantly heed the summons home they end up having to plan a celebration for him, replete with cha gio egg rolls and encounters with old friends from years past. In the time warp of a childhood home unaltered since their mother’s death and insulated by the same Vietnamese American community they grew up with, Van and Linny find they are bound by much more than the duties of culture and family history, or their aging father’s demands and whims. As they chart the uncertainty that has defined them, as well as the bitter irony of their romantic straits, Van and Linny discover in their common cause a new, enduring connection that sees them through the host of surprises to come. Bich Minh Nguyen was hailed by the Chicago Tribune as “a writer to watch, a tremendous talent” for her debut memoir, Stealing Buddha’s Dinner, and her charm and shrewd powers of observation are on brilliant display in this first novel. By turns deeply moving, wickedly urbane, and utterly entertaining, Short Girls chronicles the pitfalls and triumphs that govern all family lives. Nguyen’s insights into the complexities of duty, culture, and ambition often shared by the children of immigrants make Van and Linny’s story fresh and unforgettable — a true American tale for our time.

About Bich Minh Nguyen

Bich Minh Nguyen (pronounced Bit Min New-win) teaches literature and creative writing at Purdue University. She lives with her husband, the novelist Porter Shreve, in Chicago and West Lafayette, Indiana. Stealing Buddha’s Dinner, her first book, was the recipient of the PEN/Jerard Fund Award.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Chip

When reading the book, I sometimes had the urge to scream at the submission of some character: "This is so stupid. Why did she tolerate that?", but then I realized that that character is Vietnamese and I've been so familiar that that kind of submission in Vietnam. This book is helpful for me to unde......more

Goodreads review by Geertje

The total rating is 3.31, and I think this book deserves more than that. It's a story of how two sisters make their own choices in life, trying to create a life while dealing with race, family, career and partners. The book doesn't judge, it's up to the reader to decide which choices you support. In......more