Listen, Slowly

by Thanhha Lai

[nannah]

(probably 3.5)

I adored Thanhha Lai's Inside out & Back Again so much that I think came into this one with unfairly high expectations. "Listen, Slowly" wasn't bad by any means; it just wasn't great. Or at least, as great as I'd hoped.

Mai (or Mia, depending on who she's with) is a twelve-year-old 1st generation Vietnamese girl living in Laguna Beach, CA. She's definitely not as interested in her roots as either of her parents would like her to be, and she's definitely not excited to give up her summer on the beach to visit Vietnam so her Ba (grandmother) can get some closure. But she discovers her interests shifting as she learns more about friendship, family, and her own culture.

Yikes, Mai is a very, very difficult protagonist to like. Yes, she grows more likable over time. But it's still very hard to relate to her when she's constantly whining about everything while at the same time touting how much of a wonderful daughter/granddaughter she is for putting up with everything. There are other nice characters, but the only ones I felt a strong connection to were Ut and Ba (Mai's grandmother).

Culturally, this book definitely is a treasure (esp. to Americans/Western readers). Though oftentimes I really couldn't stand the protagonist, it was beyond well-worth the read just to experience Vietnam through these new (and occasionally old) eyes. It's hot, sticky, colorful, smelly, and wonderful--and packed with so much tradition and history. I'd read it again just for this experience.