"Book Review And Continuation"
...a new and unfamiliar country. I chose to write from the perspective of the central character Tuan, as I felt that his story was incomplete and that his emotions had been given quite a superficial treatment. I was also impressed by the underlying theme of Tuan’s story, being that of suffering and futility of war in Vietnam (where the story is set) and this discourse deeply affected me. The story has a one of Australia’s essential characteristics, being that of multiculturalism. Tuan is a refugee and brings his own personal experiences, thus adding a little bit of richness to our society. The diary entries were written as to give a sense of closure to Tuan’s story. The reader can see how over time Tuan comes to the realisation that his father is dead, and that even out of the desolation of war, there can be a new beginning. Please Note: I have chosen to write the diary entries in english because its a lot easier to read and I felt that the reader can imagine that Tuan might be writing in Vietnamese for the first entry, broken english for the second and normal flowing english for the third. Diary Entry One: 12/01/73 Diary, It has been four months since I arrived in Australia. It seems like a wonderful country! I am very lucky to be staying with Aunty Dung and her family, who arrived from Vietnam a few years earlier. They are very kind to me. I really like Australia, especially all the freedom I have, but I still miss home. I don’t know why father did such a terrible thing that fateful day. Why did he need to sit on a land mine? Why would he do such a thing? Sometimes I cry at night, because I know that father will never be able to find me here in Australia. My feelings are confused. I am very sad but also extremely angry at father. Why did he do such a thing? He left me all alone, to start a new life here in Australia. What if Aunty Dung hadn’t been here? Where would I be now? Father was very stupid; why would he leave me, I thought he loved me; he knew how much I cared for him. I am very scared of this new big country. It is very different to Vietnam. I feel different and get lots of stares. I feel awkward and sometimes trip and fall because I am nervous. Life is very scary here. I wish father was here to help me settle in! I just don’t know what to do. The other day one of my classmates invited me over to dinner. We began eating and I noticed they were using something they call a “knife and fork”. I had never seen these before, let alone used them. We still use chopsticks at Aunt Dung’s house. Even though the entire family tried to help, I still ended up spilling the food all over the floor. I was very embarrassed and wanted to leave straight away. I wish I was back in Vietnam where I understood everything and everyone understood me. Though I wish the most that father was here. We did such a lot together. I’m not just sad and angry, I’m very lonely. Oh father, why did you leave me, I loved you so much… Diary Entry 2: I can’t believe I have been in Australia 12 months! I’m in high school now and am finally starting to feel like part of the Australian culture. I have made many new friends. They are great to me. Sometimes though I still get weird stares and rude names, but I just always think about the saying Peter, my best friend tells me “it’s their problem mate, not yours”. I like that; it makes me feel part of the crowd. It feels kind of strange writing down my feelings like this, but it helps, especially when I think of Father and Vietnam. I thought about both a lot today – I was 13! It was great; I had not felt so happy in such a long time. Aunt Dung gave me a big birthday party – Presents and ...