Behind the Moon
by Hsu-Ming Teo
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Book Summary Information
Author: Hsu-Ming TeoEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2007-01-01
ISBN: 1569474400
Number of pages: 372
Publisher: Soho Press
Book Reviews of Behind the Moon
Book Review: A multicultural, multigenerational story of acceptance
Summary: 4 Stars
This is the story of three friends and their families. This trio consists of "multicultural rejects"; Justin "Jay" is the gay child of Chinese immigrants; Tien Ho, conceived out-of-wedlock during the Vietnamese War by a Vietnamese mother and African-American GI father; and Gibbo, a chubby, white, socially inept Australian who yearns to be Asain. Each character feels out of place in society and clings to each other only to find that they are even out of place with each other.
After drifting apart for a few years, their parents take action to bring them together. They orchestrate a dinner to celebrate the life of Princess Diana and watch the live coverage of her funeral. During the course of the dinner, Justin is outed, Tien's fiance is knocked unconscious, everyone is ashamed when it occurs to them that they forgot Gibbo's birthday. And to top it off, the food is awful!
Despite this disastrous dinner, it sets a series of events in motion to reconcile not only the three friends, but the families. In the worst of times, Justin's in a coma, Tien is getting divorced, and Gibbo is accused of being a stalker, they all come together to support each other.
This book is captivating from the start and is wonderfully written. The author takes you on a journey with each character, bringing depth and perspective to the series of events. I came away from this book having learned something about people, life and relationships. For instance:
Tien's mother, Lihn, in love with a black American solider, is rejected by her family for her love. In a letter to her father, she quotes a Vietnamese author I'd never heard of before, Nguyen Du:
"It blows one day & rains the next
How often does chance favor us in the Spring?
If you ignore and scorn my desperate love
you'll hurt me- yet what will it profit you?"
The Tale of Kieu
This passage struck me as relevant to my own life as many of my friends are in the stage of life where they are deciding who to spend the rest of their lives with. Not everyone is making good choices, in my opinion, and it's always difficult to know when you should speak up to prevent disaster and when to let people make their own mistakes. There were other passages and messages in this book that were thought provoking and had me reflecting on my life.
As good of a book as this was, I still have to give it an overall rating of a 4-stars because of the ending. It was a little too....... happily ever after, for my taste.
Summary of Behind the Moon
"Behind the Moon is a satisfying, original and thought-provoking pleasure."-Good Reading Magazine
"Neatly balanc[es] betrayal and real drama, with farce and macabre, biting humour.... Highly recommended."-Australian Bookseller & Publisher
Outsiders and misfits in their Australian school, three friends form a mutual bond: Justin Cheong, an only child and the idol of his Singaporean-Chinese parents; Tien Ho-daughter of a Vietnamese mother who stayed behind and an African American soldier she has never met-who lives with indifferent relatives; and Nigel "Gibbo" Gibson, an oddity: an Australian boy who, to his father's chagrin, dislikes sports.
When Tien Ho's mother arrives, the adjustment for mother and daughter is extreme. Gibbo is strongly attracted to beautiful, dainty Linh, to whom he is a kid, her daughter's pal. And Justin discovers that he likes Gibbo as something more than a friend.
The three draw apart as they grow up, only to be reunited once more on Saturday, September 6, 1997, for the dinner Mrs. Cheong hosts for them and their parents, to watch the funeral of Princess Diana on television. This Dead Diana Dinner turns out to be a more explosive event than any of them would have dreamed possible.
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