Oneworld lands ‘immensely moving’ novel from Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai

Oneworld has landed Dust Child, an “immensely moving” second novel by Vietnamese author Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai.

Publisher Juliet Mabey acquired UK and Commonwealth rights, including audio, excluding Canada. Mabey signed rights from Kendra Poster at Algonquin Books, on behalf of Julie Stevenson at Massie & McQuilkin in New York, in a “significant deal”, and will publish as a superlead hardback in April 2023.

The author’s début novel The Mountains Sing has sold more than 40,000 copies in the UK and Commonwealth countries since Oneworld’s publication in 2020, the publisher says. It has been published or is forthcoming in 17 territories. The novel, which charts the course of a family torn apart by the Vietnam war, was the runner-up for the 2021 Dayton Literary Peace Prize, winner of the Blogger’s Book Prize 2021, and was selected as a Book of the Year for 2020 by NB Magazine, NPR, the Washington Independent Review of Books and others.

Dust Child moves between the war and the present day, as the lives of two sisters, an American soldier and a mixed-race man intersect, with “explosive consequences”.

“Based on journalistic experiences, extensive interviews and first-hand research, the novel explores the challenges of a generation of Amerasian children, born to Vietnamese mothers and American fathers during the war,” the synopsis reads. 

Describing the novel as “the perfect complement to The Mountains Sing”, Mabey said of the acquisition: “Working with Quế Mai on her phenomenally successful début has been a privilege. I have loved seeing readers respond to Quế Mai’s work, and know that Dust Child will win yet more fans for her immensely moving, heartfelt and richly imagined stories.”

The author said: “It’s my honour to be published by Juliet Mabey and Oneworld, who have made it a priority to champion authors of colour. Several years ago, my agent Julie Stevenson and my editor Betsy Gleick at Algonquin Books accepted tremendous risks by publishing me and I am just so grateful for this incredible journey. 

“Dust Child took seven years to write and with this book, I’d like to honour the incredible experiences and the courage of approximately 100,000 Amerasians who were born into the Vietnam War, and whose stories are still unknown to most people.”

Stevenson added: “Quế Mai is a force of nature. Anyone who meets her or reads her work immediately understands that she is a person of great strength and compassion. Her characters are drawn with depth and empathy and her storylines immediately sweep the reader into propulsive dramas. 

“What’s more, Quế Mai is a global citizen who is committed to working for peace, social justice and women’s rights. It has been an incredible joy for me personally to work with Quế Mai and watch readers around the world embrace her work with such passion.”