Originally written in English and already translated into more than 15 languages, Đời gió bụi (Dust Child) was released in Quế Mai's mother tongue on December 8.
First published in 2023, Dust Child is a heartfelt portrayal of how the legacies of war impact oft-marginalized groups. Set primarily in Saigon, it moves back and forth in time to weave together three plot lines. Phong, a mixed-race individual, struggles with discrimination while trying to build a comfortable life for his family; after moving to the city to make money, teenagers Quỳnh and Trang encounter danger and challenges to their traditional upbringing; and American veteran Dan, who returns to Vietnam in 2016 to confront painful memories and regrets. The work doesn't shy away from difficult conversations while emphasizing the need for reconciliation and forgiveness.
“To write these books, I had to overcome my own fears because these topics I’m writing about are difficult, not often written about. But I think someone needs to write about them. Unless we confront difficult issues, we cannot generate dialogues that foster healing,” Quế Mai told Saigoneer when the novel was first released in English. We joined her on a walk through the city, stopping at some of the places that provide important settings for the novel, including the Central Post Office, Bánh Mì Như Lan, the Hotel Majestic, and April 30 Reunification Park, for her to reflect on her inspiration and goals for the work.
The much-anticipated follow-up to her first English novel The Mountains Sing, Dust Child garnered significant praise and accolades. It won the 2025 One Book One Lincoln prize and he 2023 She Reads Best Historical Fiction Award as well as mentioned as a Best Book of the season by The Los Angelas Times, Good Morning America, The Chicago Review of Books, and Cosmopolitan, amongst many others. The Washington Post called its plot “intricate and ingenious” while The Boston Globe described it as “an exquisite novel.”
The author translated the novel with Thiên Nga, and the more than year-long process involved reimagining and rewriting of passages with a level of care and attention that surpasses traditional translations. It was very much a labor of love and means of honoring local readers, as she explained in in a post on her Facebook page in Vietnamese: “To pay tribute to the land that nurtured my childhood dreams, I would like to donate 100% of the profit of the novel Dust Child (Vietnamese version) to the non-governmental organization Room to Read [...] to build and operate a library at Tran Quoc Toan primary school, Bac Lieu. ”
Photo via Nguyễn Phan Quế Mais Facebook page.
Đời gió bụi is now widely available in Vietnam at familiar physical and online sellers. Quế Mai is holding a book launch event in Hanoi on Friday, December 12 at the Writers' Association Publishing House and in Saigon on Sunday, December 14 at The Lighthouse. More details can be found on her social media.
Top image via Nguyễn Phan Quế Mais Facebook page.
