Time Magazine Article-- A Sense of the Past-- Summary and Analysis

In the TFK article A Sense of the Past, TFK interviews the author of the book Listen, Slowly. The author, Thanhha Lai, describes the book and its characters as well as how it relates to her own life. To sum it up, the novel is about a Vietnamese girl--Mia-- who lives in America and could care less about her culture. During break, her parents send her to Vietnam to visit her grandmother and connect with where she came from. The rest of the story determines if Mia will end up having an interest in her heritage or resist learning about it.

Lai describes Mia as "sarcastic, but she’s basically an obedient child". The sarcasm will be an interesting trait. It may add some entertainment to the book. However, when Mia is in Vietnam, the language barrier might become an issue for Mia. Lai says, "Mia can’t be sarcastic in Vietnam because she doesn’t have the language to do it". This new environment could show a contrast in Mia's behavior. Think of how you would act being surrounded by people speaking a different language. Definitely different. The uncertainty of words can definitely be a obstacle. This makes the book even more intriguing, seeing how Mia will adjust to the new situation.

Also in the interview, Lai spoke about how the novel relates to her own life. She mentioned, "The grandmother character in the novel is very much my own mother.  I am the age of Mia’s parents so I understand them". The fact that Lai has a real connection with the characters may add authenticity to the book. Lai understands how they would react. This may make the events seem more real. Plus, Lai might be more passionate writing about something she is familiar with. This could make the book more exiting to read. It gives the novel more emotion. Lai's connection with the characters could really enhance the novel.

After reading this article, it is very evident how much work and thought was put into this novel. With an interesting and unique plot and an author who connects well to the characters and the situations, it seems like an excellent read.