Book Review: Banyan Moon by Thao Thai

“Con, secrets are a menace. They will spill from your mouth like angry, writhing eels, or they will fill you up until you combust.”

Thao Thai, Banyan Moon

Review:

I’m almost always up for a book centered on family drama. Banyan Moon brings this to the table with the extra layers of generational struggles and the differences brought on by being raised in different cultures. 

When Minh passes away, her daughter Huong and granddaughter Ann come together to mourn their losses. For Huong, her mourning feels doubled, envious of the good relationship Ann had with Minh that she could never achieve. For Ann, she’s also mourning the seemingly perfect life she’d built that began to grumble simultaneously. Together, Ann and Huong strive to mend their own complicated relationship all while uncovering long-kept secrets that had been hiding in Minh’s house all along. 

I found the book to be a slower pace than I like to read with my eyes. I think I would have gotten more out of it had I listened to the audiobook. Having already purchased the hardcover and long waits at the library I pushed through. Minh was definitely the most interesting part of the story for me. I also very much enjoyed the complicated relationships between the three women. 

Likes & Dislikes:

What I liked:

• Complicated family relationships.
• Interesting historical side of things.

What I didn’t like:

• The pace was too slow/dragged for me.

Afterthoughts:

I may try the audiobook at some point.

Where to buy the book: