Summer Rolls

SUMMER ROLLS is an intimate novel that explores forbidden love, the experience of growing up a second-generation immigrant in the UK, and the enduring effects of war on individuals for fans of PACHINKO and ON EARTH WE''RE BREIFLY GORGEOUS. Told through the eyes of both Mai, the daughter, growing up in modern-day London and her mother, growing up in 1950s Vietnam, the novel explores how the traumas of one generation are mapped onto the lives of the next, and the enduring effects of conflict, both domestic and global. Having escaped war-torn Vietnam, long-buried memories have left deep scars within the Nguyen household. As the family integrates into their new life in Britain, these wounds and secrets slowly bubble to the surface as young Mai starts to grow up, rebelling and falling in love. Unravelling an untold family history, both mother and daughter must interrogate the past and decide the ways in which it will dictate their future in this deft and tender exploration of family, trauma and acceptance.

Préface
SUMMER ROLLS is an intimate novel about a Vietnamese mother and daughter living in East London for fans of PACHINKO and ON EARTH WE'RE BREIFLY GORGEOUS.

Auteur
Tuyen Do is a British East Asian writer and actor. She has been part of the Royal Court's studio writing group, Tamasha Playwrights, and Bristol Old Vic's open session writers' programme. Her debut play 'Summer Rolls' was performed at the Park Theatre and Bristol Old Vic. Much of her creative work stems from her British Vietnamese roots.

Résumé

"'The women in this house are the same,' she said. 'When we love, we love with all of ourselves.'"

Mai is navigating life in 90s London as a first generation British-Vietnamese teenager, caught between two cultures. Her mother, Trinh, is constantly reminding her to work hard and be grateful.

But Trinh was young once too, living a vibrant and complicated life in Vietnam until forced to flee her war-torn home. Now her focus is the son she thought she'd lost, and the daughter she desperately wants to protect. She tries to forget the memories buried in the rubble of the life she left behind.

Moving into young adulthood, Mai begins to follow her calling as a photographer, and falls in knotty but passionate love despite her mother's warnings about boys.

When secrets from the past finally resurface, the family's bonds are truly shaken. But if Trinh and Mai can overcome their differences and stand together, then maybe there could be hope for a better, brighter future...

An epic, heartwarming novel that explores love, the meaning of freedom and the importance of family, for fans of PACHINKO and ON EARTH WE'RE BRIEFLY GORGEOUS.