My Father, the Panda Killer

My Father, the Panda Killer is a dual perspective coming-of-age story that deals in culture, trauma, and family. In one timeline, we follow Californian teen Jane in 1999 as she grapples with her father’s abuse and tries to piece together the fragmented stories of his life to understand his anger. In the other time, we are in 1975 Đà Nẵng, Vietnam where Jane’s father, Phúc, tries to escape the violence following the Vietnamese War. Together, this is a story of war, generational trauma, cultural connection, and complicated families.

My Father, the Panda Killer is a beautifully written, layered , and difficult story. Hoang does not pull any punches, every moment of conflict and violence is portrayed in unflinching realism. Jane and Phúc both have such distinct voices, personalities, and conflicts, and yet the themes of family and generational trauma strongly connect their stories. Alternating between their two sections feels seamless. I found Jane to be a wonderful protagonist, as we get both her perspective in her story and her narration of her father’s story. She feels like a realistic, well rounded character. Overall, this is a challenging book, it covers some intense topics (and I would recommend checking content warnings for those that need it), but it does so with nuance and care and I believe it is worth the read. I would recommend this book to people that enjoy, literary fiction, historical fiction, and complex family dynamics.