The author uses a multi-narrative approach, telling stories from the voices of many different characters. Every time the daughter’s name comes up in discussion, her mother points out “She is John Cho’s dermatologist!” When the sisters meet up at a café to discuss what Mai has learned from the psychic, their discussion dissolves into an all-out screaming match, complete with flying fruit! In another example, one of the daughters is a dermatologist, who has as a client a well-known Asian actor. The way the sisters speak to one another will resonate with anyone who has grown up with sibling rivalry. The humour in the book is abundant, and as ever present as the fake Louis Vuitton bags. Oh, and the fourth sister (a half-sister) who adds another element of conflict and drama. There are a lot of characters in this book: the three sisters, their mother, and all of their daughters. But when the psychic gives her an expected but bold prediction, it begins a chain of events to reunite Mai with her sisters as well as their mother.
She is suffering from a ten-year estrangement from her mother. She is wracked with concern about her three adult daughters. Jumping to the present time, we find the oldest sister, Mai, making a return visit to a trusted psychic. Without sons, the spirits would wander for eternity. In their traditions, only sons could invite the spirits of the departed into their ancestral home. There would be no sons born to the family, only daughters.
Oahn was cursed by her former mother-in-law, as were all her descendents. Three sisters and their daughters, estranged yet interconnected, drawn together by loyalty, antagonism, and a fondness for fake Louis Vuitton purses.Įarly in the story, we learn of the curse placed on the sisters’ ancestor, a woman named Oahn who risked everything for a life with her true love. Primarily set in the Los Angeles neighbourhood called Little Saigon, it is the story of a Vietnamese American family, once cursed by a witch in old Vietnam, now seeking to reunite following advice from a psychic. Not total escapism, but a little bit! The Fortunes of Jaded Women, by Carolyn Huynh, fit the bill this month. A book that would still open my eyes to something new, while not opening up the wounds of the world or demanding too very much of my brain power. Every now and then I find myself craving something ‘light’ to read.
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