Trung Le Nguyen

"Real life isn't a fairytale. But Tié̂n still enjoys reading his favorite stories with his parents from the books he borrows from the local library. It's hard enough trying to communicate with your parents as a kid, but for Tié̂n, he doesn't even have the right words because his parents are struggling with their English. Is there a Vietnamese word for what he's going through? Is there a way to tell them he's gay?"--

The Magic Fish

“To me, language is a map to help you figure out where you are. If you can’t read the map, you’re lost.” 

My boy Tiên lives as a wonder and my heart goes out to him 

“I don’t want you to worry. I’m sorry. I’m figuring it out. I just don’t know how to…ask for things.” 

“My sweet child, this is transgressive. Your yearning, your desire to be other than what you are, may well be your undoing. Are you certain you would give up your millennia of bliss under the sea for a mere sliver of a century with a frail and fickle little human?” 

“How should I know? It’s an old, old story. Details change. Things change. And now this story is ours. Yours and mine.” 

The Magic Fish quotes

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