Tiến is attending middle school in Middle America in the early 1990s. Both of his parents are refugees from Vietnam who made a new life in the United States. Tiến grew up speaking English and Vietnamese, and he and his mother read stories in English to each other to help her practice her English skills. Tiến's family is not rich. His father works long hours, and his mother is a seamstress, but there's always enough food to eat, and a roof over their head.
Tiến has a secret. He is gay, but he doesn't know how to tell his parents. He doesn't know the words for it in Vietnamese, and he's worried that telling them in English wouldn't be an effective way to communicate this very important part of himself. His friend Claire is in charge of the middle school dance, and she invites both Tiến and their friend Julian. Claire knows that Tiến has a crush on Julian, and she hopes that this will help.
Helen, Tiến's mother is in frequent contact with her family in Vietnam. Her mother is sick, but she hopes her whole family can travel to Vietnam before it's too late. Only the fateful call comes in, letting her know that her mother passed away.
Between these events taking place now are the story of Helen when she was escaping Vietnam, as well as three fairy tales told by Tiến to his mother, and by Helen's aunt to Helen while in Vietnam. These stories all link together to form a fantastic journey that describes the immigrant's abandonment of home and gain of a new home and language. Beautifully illustrated with specific shades of colors for each storyline, The Magic Fish also contains an afterword by the author, who describes his goals for the book and the meaning behind the fairy tales he chose to use. This explanation greatly enhances the book and makes the reader want to read it through again, this time with a more informed eye.
No comments:
Post a Comment