Today is already our final day of the Literary Sewing Circle focusing on Thao Thai's Banyan Moon.
I hope you've had the chance to read the book, and both the first and second inspiration posts, and are getting lots of ideas for a project of your own.
The project linkup will be added to the bottom of this post: as soon as you are done your project, just pop a link to your post into the linkup and we will all be able to visit your blog/instagram etc. and explore your creation -- remember, it can be sewn, or knitted, crocheted, embroidered... any textile art that you practice.
I'll share some questions and thoughts about the book here - please respond to them in the comments, or add your own questions and reflections for others to engage with as well.
1. If you decided to pick up this book and read it for this round, why? Had you heard of Thao Thai before, or did the book just sound interesting on its own?
I found this book in my library earlier this year and thought it sounded fascinating, especially once I read more about the author. I enjoyed it and thought there was a lot of room for discussion in the story, so I decided to share it with all of you!
2. What do you think of the book's concept? Are you a fan of stories told from 3 different perspectives like this one?
I am a fan of stories told by 3 generations of women, but I often find that the middle one gets less time on the page than the other two. In this book I was pleased that all three women had strong stories and strong voices as they shared their perspectives.
3. Is there a particular character that you connected with most strongly? Any particular themes that resonate with you?
I really found the idea of three women who are closely related and spend their time together yet still have many secrets to be compelling. Each of the characters is so complex and invested in their relationships, and yet there is so much in their lives that they keep to themselves and don't share with the others - from actual events to their feelings and memories. The idea that it's impossible to know everything about someone else, even your own mother or daughter, was so interesting to investigate.
And surprisingly I found I was really drawn to Huong. I found her story and her response to her life trauma so convincing and so relatable somehow. She wants to be a good mother and provide a safe and complete family structure for her daughter and yet somehow she can't, she just has to keep moving and deal with what comes. I respected her efforts during this story to learn new things and to build a better relationship with her daughter.
4. Were you familiar with the historical context of this book? Were there any parts of the story that you found surprising or illuminating?
I felt like Ann's story was familiar but as we got back further to Minh's lifestory, it was really something new for me. I knew the basics of Vietnam during the war, and the surge in immigrants around the time that Minh fled the country as well, but this was so personal and highlighted a lot of things I didn't know about at all. I also loved the inclusion of the folktale of Chu Cuoi, the man in the moon. Great imagery in it reflecting some of the themes of this book.
5. This story focuses in on the relationship between mothers and daughters, and the secrets we keep from one another. Did you think the characters got balanced 'airtime' here? Do you feel that their decisions to keep elements of their past secret were justified?
Sometimes in books with 3 perspectives, we get one that's more overlooked but as I noted earlier, I felt it was very balanced here. We get a good feeling for each character's contemporary life, but also their interior life - their past and the secrets they keep. And we see how keeping their secrets has affected the other characters.
Some of the secrets didn't seem that vital to be kept a secret, but others were very understandable. Huong wanted to shield her daughter from the trauma she herself had experienced and Minh doesn't share her past with anyone, a way to move beyond it.
6. Is there anything specific in the book that has sparked an idea for a project? Are you mulling over ideas?
The image of Chu Cuoi is still rumbling around as a theme I might use. But there are also other elements I didn't include in inspiration posts but which are still sticking with me, like Ann and Minh's shared love of good coffee. Or the light in the trees around the Banyan House. I have some ideas, I just have to pick one and get sewing. I hope you're starting on a project or have at least enjoyed your reading!
Please share your thoughts on the book, its themes, characters, or anything you noted about it -- either in the comments here or on your own blog with a link to your longer thoughts in the comments so we can find it. I love to talk about the experience of reading so feel free to comment no matter when you're reading this post; if you've read this I'd love to hear about it!
What project have you made, inspired by your reading of Banyan Moon? Share a link to your project on this post as soon as you're done! The linkup will be live until November 8 -- you have another 2 weeks of sewing time to finish and share.