The Magic Fish by Trung Le Nguyen
Synopsis
"Real life isn't a fairytale.
But Tiến still enjoys reading his favorite stories with his parents from the books he borrows from the local library. It's hard enough trying to communicate with your parents as a kid, but for Tiến, he doesn't even have the right words because his parents are struggling with their English. Is there a Vietnamese word for what he's going through?
Is there a way to tell them he's gay?
A beautifully illustrated story by Trung Le Nguyen that follows a young boy as he tries to navigate life through fairytales, an instant classic that shows us how we are all connected. The Magic Fish tackles tough subjects in a way that accessible with readers of all ages, and teaches us that no matter what—we can all have our own happy endings."
Book Links: Goodreads, Bookshop.org
My Thoughts
This book was absolutely gorgeous. Everything from the illustration to the storytelling and fairy tales was so fantastic and wove such an amazing tale of immigration and coming out.
The way the character's stories were woven in with the fairy tales being read was seamless and so impactful. I also really loved the different styles throughout the book. And reading about the author/illustrator's thought process behind the wardrobe choices was such a cool insight and made me notice things I hadn't the first time reading it through.
The idea that stories can change and grow depending on the time and place but also the person telling the story was an important thread through this one. The ending had me in tears, my heart was so full.
I genuinely can't recommend this one enough. I beautiful tale between generations.
Genre: lgbtqia+, fantasy, contemporary
Representation: gay, Vietnamese-American, lesbian
Content Warnings: gore, blood, murder, death of a grandparent, homophobia, toxic Christianity, cannibalism (unintentional), character death