DAUGHTERS OF THE NEW YEAR

Lulu Lam is a versatile narrator, and it shows in this multigenerational novel centered on the women of the Trung family. Lam demonstrates her wide range when depicting Xuan Trung, the mother, who fled Vietnam, and her more Western daughters, Trac, Nhi, and Trieu. Lam nails the cadence for Xuan's dialogue by using a Vietnamese-inflected English that will ring true to anyone familiar with the accent. She balances it against the more American-sounding speech of the daughters, each of whom is trying to find her place in contemporary society. This well-crafted performance moves back and forth from present to past, from America to Vietnam, with each transition smoothly handled by Lam. M.R. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine [Published: NOVEMBER 2022]