The Mountains Sing by Que Mai Phan Nguyen

 New York TimesEditor’s Choice

AN INTIMATE, STIRRING PORTRAIT OF A COUNTRY AT WAR AND A FAMILY’S BATTLE TO SURVIVE

Set against the backdrop of the Viet Nam War, The Mountains Sing is the enveloping, multi-generational tale of the Tran family, perfect for fans of Min Jin Lee’s Pachinko or Yaa Gyasi’s Homegoing.

Ha Noi, 1972. Huong and her grandmother, Tran Dieu Lan, cling to one another in their improvised shelter as American bombs fall around them. Her father and mother have already left to fight in a war that is tearing not just her country but her family apart. For Tran Dieu Lan, forced to flee the family farm with her six children decades earlier as the Communist government rose to power in the North, this experience is horribly familiar. Seen through the eyes of these two unforgettable women, The Mountains Sing captures their defiance and determination, hope and unexpected joy.