A young woman, torn between two cultures, belonging to neither.
A family, torn apart by a war they had no choice about.
Kiều calls herself Kim because it’s easier for Europeans to pronounce. She knows little about her Vietnamese family’s history until she receives a Facebook message from her estranged uncle in America, telling her that her grandmother is dying. Her father and uncle haven’t spoken since the end of the Vietnam War. One brother supported the Vietcong, while the other sided with the Americans.
When Kiều and her parents travel to America to join the rest of the family in California to open her grandmother’s will, questions relating to their past — to what has been suppressed — resurface and demand to be addressed.
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‘Brothers and Ghosts a generation-spanning family saga that explores the ruptures that divide a family and the far-reaching impacts of war and colonisation on identity, place and relationships … [it] is a deep look at the complexity of the Vietnam War for one family and explores how they have lost and found each other over the years, as well as one woman’s desire to redefine her life outside of the labels she’s automatically ascribed. The characters will stay with you long after reading.’
" - Aniko Press
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‘Brothers and Ghosts examines the experience of one southern Vietnamese family during the Vietnam War, and its long aftermath … Inspired by her own family, journalist Khuê Phạm tells a wrenching story of family, war, and memory.’
" - Booklist
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‘Brothers and Ghosts by Khuê Phạm belongs to a new wave of German literature that shows how culturally diverse the country has become since the late 1960s … Phạm’s debut novel reverberates in clear, dispassionate prose that belies its complex subject matter.’
" - NPR
