What Hunger by Catherine Dang
Many thanks to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for
providing me with an advanced copy of Catherine Dang’s new coming of age novel What Hunger. I was initially attracted to the cover of the novel, featuring a close-up
of a bleeding raspberry being squeezed by fingers. While there isn’t much fruit
in the book, the image does reflect Ronny Nguyen’s (the protagonists) sudden
craving for meat after experiencing an assault and other trauma. I was also interested
in the description of the book that deals with an adolescent girl’s challenges
navigating her identity as a first-generation Vietnamese high school student. What
Hunger is both shocking and entertaining, showing how Ronny tries to
overcome not only her own personal trauma and the racism she experiences, but
also the generational trauma and distrust that her immigrant parents have in
midwestern America after they fled Vietnam following the fall of Saigon. Ronny’s
observations and interactions with her parents demonstrate that while they are
protective and considerate of their children, they also may be somewhat
distrustful and sheltered, limiting Ronny and her brother Tommy from finding
their own identities and assimilating into American culture.
Dang’s novel reminded me of some other novels about first-generation
adolescents battling against racism and parental expectations as they struggle
to develop their own unique identities in America. It’s interesting, too, that
many of these novels, like Monika Kim’s The Eyes are the Best Part, Suzy
Yang’s White Ivy, and Kylie Lee Baker’s Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng present racism as horror, yet also allow their protagonists to
become empowered and reclaim their identities with force in standing up to
racism and cultural stereotypes. Dang’s novel follows these themes as Ronny’s
summer takes a sudden, traumatic turn before it ends and she begins her first
year of high school. I won’t reveal the exact details, but this event coupled
with her parents’ laconic responses put her in an uncertain position of how to
navigate the grief while also beginning a new chapter in her life, education,
and search for an identity in high school. Ronny’s aunt, her father’s sister,
comes to visit the family from California, and enables Ronny to not only learn
more about both her mother and father and what their lives were like in Vietnam
before they immigrated, but also to provide Ronny with advice and life lessons
that her parents never seem to impart to Ronny. In fact, Cô Mỹ, Ronny’s aunt,
is an interesting counterpoint to her parents, who seem to have been beaten
down both by their experiences as Vietnamese refugees and by the racism in
America. Having limited visits with Cô Mỹ, Ronny’s not sure exactly how to take
her aunt, but as Cô Mỹ eventually brings out a different personality from her
father, Ronny begins to realize how multifaceted and dynamic her parents
actually are. It’s something that all readers can relate to, especially those
in adolescence who begin to notice and understand the kinds of sacrifices and
changes that their parents experience. However, with Ronny Nguyen, her parents’
experiences as immigrants and refugees heighten the kinds of sacrifices and changes
they’ve experienced as they attempt to assimilate into American society.
In addition to tackling themes of identity development and
racism, the book also draws heavily on Vietnamese culture, especially food. I
loved that Dang incorporates Vietnamese language in the book, and how the
characters bond over traditional Vietnamese dishes. In particular, it was
interesting to see how Ronny doesn’t really like many of the dishes that other relatives
and friends share. It isn’t until Ronny experiences a traumatic assault that her
tastes begin to change. I found this to be an interesting aspect of the book.
Although the assault is horrible, and I want to warn readers about it, Ronny is
able to fight back and develop her identity as a result of this event.
Furthermore, her tastes for meat develop and readers can see how food and
culture can have healing, nourishing, and restorative properties. Although
Ronny seeks out meat to satiate her lust for blood and vengeance, it also
speaks to her Americanization and her initial distaste for some Vietnamese dishes.
After her assault in the first few days of school, Ronny tries
to assimilate into the cliques and groups of 9th grade. I found
these sections describing her attempts to join in and make friends to be the
most relatable in the book. Ronny not only wants to belong, but also has to
deal with rumors and gossip, and in some ways, she leans into the rumors being
spread about her, which I found to be empowering for a character like Ronny. Although
the 1st person narrative allows us to hear some of Ronny’s
conflicted emotions and thoughts, readers can also see a determined character
who is not going to be bullied or allow others to define her. This was really
interesting to see how her identity was shaped by these experiences. In
addition to the high school scenes, Ronny also has strange neighbors who keep
to themselves but also set squirrel traps on their property. Ronny and Tommy
stumble across a trapped squirrel that has bloodied its mouth attempting to
bite through the trap’s wires. As Tommy explains, these animals don’t want to
be trapped and will become aggressive after they are trapped, doing almost
anything to break free. Although it’s a little strange, the squirrels provide a
clear symbol about attempts to trap perceptions of others and how fighting back
against those with power can come with a cost. While Gigi, Ronny and Tommy’s
neighbor, seems indifferent to the squirrels’ suffering and pain for being
themselves, Ronny and Tommy both recognize how unfair and unnecessary it is to
trap these animals.
What Hunger has some plot twists and turns, and
although some parts may seem a little unbelievable, the message and themes of identity
and navigating grief and trauma are important for readers to read and
understand. Although the novel is challenging and upsetting at times, readers do
experience a resilient main character who overcomes obstacles while also coming
to understand both of her parents and their experiences as immigrants and refugees
who remain guarded and reserved about their pasts and protective of their
children’s futures. I recommend this book, although be warned about the incidents
of loss, grief, and assaults.
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