My Mother, the Mermaid Chaser

De: Jamie Jo Hoang

Narrado por: David Lee Huynh

Told in dual POV, this gripping companion piece to My Father, the Panda Killer, follows a teenage son who defies his sister's wishes by searching for more information about their absent mother. Meanwhile, his mother's poignant backstory reveals her struggle with grief and longing, culminating in her heart-wrenching decision to leave her children.

“A cleverly narrated and perfectlypaced powerful dive into healinggenerational trauma.” —Angeline Boulley, author of Firekeeper’s Daughter

San Jose, 2008: Paul yearns to know more about the mother who abandoned his family, but she is the only topic no one discusses. Now’s he’s in Vietnam, feeling displaced and considered an outsider. Plus, a ghost is haunting him even though he doesn’t believe in ghosts. His cousin and the grandmother he’s never met before now keep telling him that he’ll get answers only if he’s willing to open his ears.

Vũng Tâu, 1975: Ngọc Lan is eleven when her family breaks apart: her brother is drafted into the army; her father leaves on the last helicopter to the US. She and her sister are sent from Vietnam on a harrowing journey by boat. Only Ngọc Lan will survive. But what is the American dream when you are haunted by the death of your sister, missing your homeland; seeing ghostly mermaid sightings; lost in an abusive marriage; struggling as a parent?

Told in the alternating perspectives of Paul and Ngọc Lan, My Mother, the Mermaid Chaser is a haunting story about the intergenerational effects of war, estranged family bonds, and how a teenager discovers a new connection to a lost part of himself.


* This audiobook edition includes a downloadable PDF containing lists of characters, honorifics, and resources from the book.

Reseñas de la Crítica

★ "This story is a triumph of endurance, family, magical realism, and forgiveness." —School Library Journal, starred review

"A haunting, compassionate tribute to the children of war." —Kirkus Reviews

"Hoang’s dramatic coming-of-age novel is an intense exploration of grief, loss, and multigenerational trauma that ultimately leads to understanding, forgiveness, and even love." —The Horn Book

"A haunting and beautiful reminder of the continual mending of the wounds from wars long past." —Kim Johnson, author of This Is My America

"Jamie Jo Hoang tells an achingly tender story that explores healing and trauma, asking what role our memories play in the fabric of family." —Olivia A. Cole, author of Ariel Crashes a Train

"This book will make you question the people and world you thought you knew while showing you a more complex and compassionate reality. You will be changed forever." —Joanna Ho, New York Times bestselling author

"An emotionally gripping, gorgeously-written, and page-turning story. It is honestly a gem." —Jennifer De Leon, author of Don’t Ask Me Where I’m From

"Stunning! Brilliant! Profoundly beautiful!" —Ellen Oh, author of The Colliding Worlds of Mina Lee