Dust Child by Nguyen Phan Que Mai

A moving story of war and the after effects that ripple through generations. Vietnam in 1969 where young boys barely out of their teens have been thrown into the madness and mayhem of a foreign country in war. Many find comfort in bars where young Vietnamese girls help them forget for a few hours. Two sisters are lured away from their village with the promise of easy money working in one of these Sai Gon bars. Soon they discover that it is more than just selling drinks and talking that is required of them. One sister and a lonely American will fall in love and escape into their own world far away from the war. Fast forward to 2016 and that G.I. is now racked with guilt about the pregnant girl he left behind in Vietnam. He travels overseas with his wife (who is ignorant of the real reason for the visit) to find her and redeem himself. We also see life through one of the many Amerasian children who do not fit in either society - they have been abandoned by both countries caught between wanting to find their American fathers but being taken advantage of. Engrossing and heartfelt, this is a story that is long overdue. A mix of corruption and innocence, love and the violence and loss of war and family vs. culture.  4 stars