haunting，閱讀時心中一直浮現這個形容詞。Ocean Vuong用文字編織出母親盡力而為實現的美國夢，而戰爭及移民帶來的傷痕也烙印在自己與下一代上。
"...to speak in our mother tongue is to speak only partially in Vietnamese, but entirely in war."
小說與回憶錄的區別在書中模糊了界線，從越南鄉間到哈特福的美甲店。敘事者Little Dog寫給母親的信就像海浪一般承載著家族回憶。當翻開書時，文字的追憶同時化為選擇及洪水，
這封信不是要讓每個人找到心中的平和，而是在長大後，站在燈塔上對這些波浪寫出註釋。
"Ma. You once told me that memory is a choice. But if you were god, you’d know it’s flood. "
