Book Review: “Banyan Moon” by Thao Thai
Håfa adai! May is Asian American/Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month in the United States. For the second two weeks of May 2025, I will post reviews for works of fiction written by Asian American authors and depicting important experiences within Asian American communities. My third selection of AAPI Heritage Month 2025 is Banyan Moon by Thao Thai.
This book review consists of two parts: a spoiler-free plot summary and my thoughts on the story. In the second part, I give my personal rating and break down the setting and worldbuilding, storytelling, cast of characters, and themes. There may be some lightweight spoilers—such as how characters interact with each other and the world around them—but I will not give away any major plot twists or endings. I want to share my opinions of the book and maybe encourage you to purchase a copy of your own.
Click on the tags at the bottom of this post to see all reviews with the same tags in the Fiction bookshelf.
Spoiler-Free Plot Summary
Ann has a meticulously planned life, including a relationship with a man from a wealthy family and a gorgeous lakeside property. But there was no way she could have predicted an unexpected discovery and an unplanned positive pregnancy test occurring back-to-back. When she receives word that her beloved grandmother Minh has passed away, perhaps going home can help her heal in more ways than one.
Hu’o’ng, Ann’s mother, is also at a crossroads in life. On the one hand, she is mourning a mother she was not particularly close to. On the other hand, she is seeking to forgive her now-deceased mother for seemingly stealing her daughter away from her years ago. Feeling robbed of a relationship with her only child by her own mother, Hu’o’ng is trying to create an opportunity to bridge the chasm between her and Ann while not knowing how to be present for her daughter.
Minh—mother of Hu’o’ng and grandmother of Ann—left Vietnam for the United States with her young children after the unexpected loss of her husband. Looking back on her life, choices, and actions, Minh reflects on the mistakes she made, the risks she took, and the secrets she kept throughout her decades on Earth. Although she chose to remain silent about many of those secrets over the decades, she no longer wants to be the sole keeper of some of those secrets.
Important Trigger Warning for Banyan Moon
Banyan Moon depicts domestic violence. This is essential to the overall plot. If these would cause you distress or discomfort in any way, then make sure to take necessary steps to prepare and protect yourself before and after reading this book.
My Thoughts on Banyan Moon: 5 stars!
Extending from the 1960s in Vietnam to present day Florida in the United States, Banyan Moon follows the first-person perspectives and experiences of three generations of women in the same family. Thao Thai composes compassionate and nuanced narratives of for each character, providing a distinct feel and tone for Ann, Minh, and Hu’o’ng’s respective chapters throughout the book.
The appearance and significance of the banyan tree (and the family’s aptly named Banyan House) was not lost on me. Banyan trees are important symbols of spiritual protection, familial strength, and ceremonial gathering places within Vietnamese culture, bridging the human and spirit worlds. As I went through chapter after chapter of Banyan Moon, I could not help but ask myself if the Banyan House was protecting Minh, Hu’o’ng, and Ann, or if it was protecting their secrets.
There are four broad topics that stood out to me as I read Banyan Moon. The first one that became apparent to me is the way in which history tends to repeat itself. Although Minh, Hu’o’ng, and Ann lead very different lives, the key aspects of their personal/love lives have remarkably similar trials. Each woman is faced with unexpected events and choices (I am reluctant to call them consequences) in their respective timelines. And while the history of certain circumstances repeats itself within their small family, the way each woman takes on those circumstances results in vastly different outcomes.
The second topic that stood out to me are the different ways Minh, Hu’o’ng, and Ann approached breaking certain cycles of trauma. I go back and forth about how to properly put this into words given that the first topic I point out is how history repeats itself. Are they breaking one cycle only to start another one, or are they trying and failing to break the one cycle? But, when the reader takes a step back, they will notice the nuance of each generation’s responses to their respective trials. In Minh’s timeline—1960s Vietnam—the value of young women is tied to their chastity and conduct, but she defies that in her own ways once certain lines are crossed. In Hu’o’ng’s timeline—1990s Florida—a character is second-generation Vietnamese (his parents were born in Vietnam, but he was born in the United States) and chases becoming more American by becoming more like his Caucasian neighbors; Hu’o’ng loses the empathy to help him once a certain line is crossed. In Ann’s timeline—modern-day Florida—she cannot go back once a certain line is crossed, but she reframes what love, forgiveness, and partnership will look like in her new reality.
The third topic surrounds the handling of secrets. Once the plot twists hit, I found myself asking several questions. Who gets to keep secrets from others? How—and when and by whom—should those secrets be brought to light, if ever? Are certain secrets better off being forever forgotten? For Minh, Hu’o’ng, and Ann, the Banyan House serves not only as their safe space, but also as a refuge for secrets. Every combination of two women across these three generations shares a secret from the third woman. One’s immediate thought might be that it is better for families to be as transparent and honest as possible. Yet, for these three women, it is out of genuine desire to protect each other that those secrets remain hidden.
Fourth, love is a treacherous yet redemptive force. Throughout each timeline in Banyan Moon are relationships—platonic, familial, romantic, or purely sexual—that start out as one form before undergoing some intense transformation. Each relationship begins its journey with some form of love. Those that survive their transformative journey are made even stronger by a newly realized form of that older love. Minh, Hu’o’ng’s, and Ann’s respective journeys deftly demonstrate that although not every relationship is destined to last, the ones that do are typically informed, sometimes harmed, and ultimately reinforced by love.
My overall rating for Thao Thai’s Banyan Moon 5 out of 5 stars! Banyan Moon is a story about the handling of secrets, the way history repeats itself, the different ways different people break certain cycles of trauma, and the treacherous yet redemptive power of love. Thao Thai’s writing style is evocative and highly textured. The tension and drama were intense yet tragically believable. The plot twists were truly surprising. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys multigenerational tales and those who appreciate stories about distinct women characters.
Dångkulo' na' saina ma'åse'! Thank you so much for reading my review of Banyan Moon by Thao Thai.
Rating Cheat Sheet
4.75 - 5.00 stars: Everyone should read this book! (If you’re into that sort of thing.)
4.00 - 4.50 stars: I appreciated many aspects of this book. I recommend it!
3.00 - 3.75 stars: I liked some aspects of this book. I won’t revisit it, but someone else might really like it.
2.00 - 2.75 stars: There were some things I appreciated about this book, but I do not recommend it.
0.25 - 1.75 stars: I do not recommend this book. I did not enjoy or appreciate the experience of it.
Post Date: 19 May 2025
Published: 27 June 2023
Publisher: Mariner Books
