banyan moon, by Tao Tai
In Tao Tai’s debut novel Banyan Moon, one of the main characters in the story, Fung Trang, confesses: Obsessed with me, not anyone else. A multi-view family tale that chronicles the lives of three Vietnamese women from Vietnam in the 1960s to present-day Florida, the sense of entrapment and malice is palpable.
The novel opens with a flashback set in 1998. Grandmother Ming, mother Huong, and child Ann are then strolling along the Florida Gulf coast, their noses twitching in the “Red Tide Sea.” Ms. Huong observes the apparent closeness between her mother and her 7-year-old daughter with her envious eyes, and tensions run high. She struggles to reconcile Ming, who is raising a child in front of her eyes, and Ming, a lonely single mother who fled war-torn Vietnam from her childhood memories. Additionally, she feels this new Min is threatening her own coveted role as a mother. As for caring for An, Huong reprimands her while Ming comforts her. The difference in instincts between the two leaves Huong feeling alienated. She is no match for Min’s newfound patience.
Anne is now an illustrator living in Michigan with her wealthy white boyfriend. While she continues to sanctify Ming, her relationship with her mother remains fragile. Desperate for her independence, she has built a “disproportionate cashmere life” away from home and calls Huong only to ask about her family’s recipes. Just when she was questioning her own happiness, her cruel facts came to light one after another. learns that her grandmother has died. The only person she can rely on is Fong, who has escaped.
Thus begins Anne’s journey to the Banyan House, a sprawling Gothic residence in the swamps of Florida. After Min’s death, An and Hung inherited the house. A pivotal moment for her mother and daughter happened in this run-down mansion. This is where Huong and An grew up, where Huong decided to leave her abusive husband Vinh, and where a dark secret has long been buried.
Readers will find something pleasant about Banyan House. “You guys are all going crazy, telling riddles. Soon your hair will look like a witch,” Huong’s brother Phuc said, renovating and possibly selling it. I speak as one of many attempts to take ownership of the house so I could.
In the absence of a respected patriarch and mediator, Fong and An must contend with a broken relationship. Contempt, betrayal, and a perceived inability to understand each other permeate their dynamics. Their rivalry can be sentimental, but is often balanced by Ty’s keen insight. “The shameful thing about being a mother is that the instinct never leaves us, even if everyone decides we don’t need them anymore,” Huong said.
“Banyan Moon” is at its strongest when it explores the unique blend of contempt and anger that can exist between mothers and daughters. Witnessing An’s struggle to forgive a guilt-ridden Huong is quietly shocking. The Thai language expresses these feelings with nuance and familiarity, sometimes intolerable.
The story, which travels back and forth in time and space, gives the Trang women roundness and allows the reader to see aspects and similarities of each character that keep them away from each other. Each woman hides the truth from the other family members to protect them, but it’s also what prevents them from being there for each other.
In the wake of Ming’s death, Ann is desperate to learn more about her. As she scours Banyan House to find traces of her grandmother, she uncovers a secret that might break Fong’s heart. Meanwhile, unbeknownst to her Ann, Huong keeps a secret of his own. Ms. Min’s mother once told her that we are all capable of doing horrible things. But what if the scariest are also the kindest? “Banyan Moon” invites readers to consider whether some truths are best left hidden, whether deception can ultimately be an act of love.
Kayla Maiuri is the author of ‘Mother in the Dark’.
banyan moon | Tao Tai | 330 pages | Mariner Books | $30
