An empathetic reader often packs the stories they are currently obsessing over into their lives and personalities a bit, which is a notion I’ve often felt and truly comes alive here. The fairy tales, retellings of Vietnamese versions such as Cinderella or The Little Mermaid, feel fresh and exciting but perfectly compliment the current lives of the characters. This graphic novel is a real emotional deep dive that manages to remain shimmering with beauty even through the darkest moments. The beautifully intricate artwork and heartfelt storytelling sends the reader on an emotional investigation of generational traumas, alienation, and queer struggles through a stunning portrayal of an immigrant family trying their best to reach and love one another.

To help them process the sadnesses of life, they read Vietnamese fairytales to each other, and the three retellings here probe deeper into the psychology of their lives through brilliant juxtaposition of the interwoven narratives.

As a first generation American born to Vietnamese refugees, the language barrier between him and his parents is a daunting obstacle in his plan to come out to them as gay and meanwhile his mother is processing her grief over her aging and ill mother she hasn’t seen since she left Vietnam. The book follows Tiến and his family through a period of griefs and struggles centering around familial relationships. The Magic Fish by Trung Le Nguyen is a stellar graphic novel that shows the interplay between life and literature and the ways storytelling can empower and shape us.

Stories help us contextualize the world around us and at a young age has been shown to shape our empathy and help us grow. ‘ We tell ourselves stories in order to live,’ wrote Joan Didion.

The magic fish nguyen