Daughters of the New Year

DEBUT Tran’s first novel opens in 2016 New Orleans with matriarchal divorcee Xuan Trung making sure to give horoscopes for the coming lunar new year, based on the Vietnamese zodiac, to each of her three adult daughters: corporate lawyer Trac, aspiring actress Nhi, and Trieu, the youngest, an aspiring writer who works in a gym. Starting off as a single story about a contemporary Vietnamese American family, the narrative gradually unfolds to reveal a beautifully told multigenerational tale tracing the family’s history and genealogy back to the French-owned rubber plantations of Vietnam. Tran writes fluidly as she introduces each character, loosely stringing together their stories with the revelation and meaning of their lunar zodiac signs; identifiable tales of prejudice and strife are unraveled among various ages, genders, and cultures throughout.