Tiên is a Vietnamese-American teenager who shares a love for fairy tales with his mother, Hiền. Since Hiền is still learning English, the two read classic stories together to bridge the linguistic gap between them. Through these shared narratives—ranging from Cinderella variants to the Little Mermaid—Tiên attempts to find a way to tell his mother that he is gay. The story unfolds across three timelines: Tiên’s daily life, Hiền’s memories of Vietnam, and the lushly illustrated folklore that mirrors their complex reality of displacement and identity.
Readers who appreciate the intersection of queer identity and immigrant navigation will find this graphic novel informative. It provides a visual framework for understanding how language barriers shape family dynamics and how children of refugees negotiate heritage. Those who study visual storytelling will see how color palettes can distinguish between memory and fantasy. The reader gains a perspective on how fictional archetypes provide a vocabulary for personal truths when literal words are unavailable.
- Published
- 2020
- Language
- EN
