When the only son of a Vietnamese immigrant family is killed in an Australian night club, his only sister becomes obsessed with uncovering the truth.

While there are some well-done character studies here, this novel ultimately moves at a snail's pace, and the Big Reveal is something most readers will have seen coming for at least half the book. ( )

(8.5) A very authentic book on the immigrant experience and a depiction of family grief when a promising young man is murdered. His journalist sister sets out to understand what happened and why. ( )

This is one of those books that everyone should read, as it’s filled with such depth and poignancy of the Vietnamese culture and community.
When Ky Tran discovered her strait laced brother was murdered in a popular Vietnamese restaurant and no one was speaking to the police, she was determined to find the reason behind his death. ( )

Cabramatta is een buitenwijk van Sydney, Australië. Tegenwoordig worden toeristen erheen gelokt met tours langs goede Vietnamese restaurants, maar in de jaren 1990 stond de wijk bekend als een no-go-zone, vanwege de vele drugsverslaafden en de daaraan gerelateerde criminaliteit. Dat waren ook de jaren dat schrijfster Tracey Lien daar opgroeide, als dochter van vluchtelingen uit Vietnam. Die herinneringen vormen de achtergrond van haar debuutroman “Waar we niet over praten” (oorspronkelijk: ‘All that’s left unsaid’) dat in 2022 verscheen.

Het boek is op het eerste gezicht een moordmysterie: de zeventienjarige Denny Tran wordt vermoord, in een drukbezocht restaurant in Cabramatta. Getuigen genoeg, maar niemand wil met de politie praten, en de politie doet niet al teveel moeite om de dader te vinden. Denny’s oudere zus, Ky, een jonge journaliste probeert daarom zelf de waarheid boven tafel te krijgen. Zij is de belangrijkste verteller van het verhaal, maar in een paar hoofdstukken zijn er andere vertellers, getuigen. Zo ga je als lezer steeds beter begrijpen wat er is gebeurd die fatale avond. En waarom niemand praat.

Zoals gezegd, het is een moordmysterie, maar om het boek weg te zetten tussen de detectives zou het tekort doen. In wezen gaat het over het leven van de Vietnamese vluchtelingen in Cabramatta, over het stelselmatige racisme waarmee ze te maken hebben, over de enorme druk die op de jongere - vaak in Australië geboren - generatie ligt en de oorlogstrauma's van de oudere generatie. Het is een verdrietig boek dat behoorlijk hard bij mij binnenkwam, en dat is een compliment voor de schrijfster. Het boek is meeslepend geschreven en spannend. Dus laat je niet afschrikken door de vreselijk saaie kaft; lees dit boek! ( )

All That’s Left Unsaid by Tracey Lien is a 2022 William Morrow publication.

Ky Tran, a Vietnamese- Australian journalist, returns home when she finds out her younger brother, Denny, has died. Upon arrival, she learns that her parents, who who struggles with the language barrier, are clueless as to what happened to her brother.

Determined to discover why Denny was killed, she sets out to interview everyone who might have been a witness to the crime, while coping with her own guilt and grief.

The story is set in mid- 1990s, Cabramatta, a Sydney suburb, where Asian refugees settled after the Vietnam war. The novel explores themes of social discrimination while following Ky as she tracks down witnesses to her brother’s murder.

As the story develops, Ky’s complicated relationship with her parents while growing up is revealed, which has only gotten worse since her move to Melbourne.

For me, the mystery seems to take a back seat to Ky’s interactions with her community, her family, and the memories of her childhood friendship with Minnie, a girl she lost contact with with over the years, but is always a prominent voice in her mind. I wondered about the author’s reasonings behind some of this material at times, but it all comes together to present a larger picture than the one we are initially presented with.

It’s an unusual approach, maybe even a little offbeat- but it works. It’s a poignant story that goes beyond the traditional whodunit. It was interesting, for me as I was unaware of this part of Australia or this particular immigrant experience. It was this atmosphere that reveals a level of conflict within the characters and the way they deal with traumas.

Overall, this book was not exactly what I was expecting, and to be honest, I’m not sure it wholly fits into just one genre. Mystery readers will get what they came for, and a whole lot more- but this book would also appeal those who like to read historical fiction, cultural novels, and above all- family dramas, which is the dominant feature of the book, in my opinion.

Though it could be challenging at times, I think this is an impressive debut novel, and will be watching out for more books by Tracey Lien. ( )