December’s pick for Book of the Month is an emotionally charged road trip tale that hits poignant themes of family, something we all think about this time of year.
by Casper Hill — Media Relations Manager, Ramsey County Library
Thirty years ago, siblings Alex, Bonnie, and Kevin went on a road trip to the Grand
Canyon with their parents. Something unexpected happened on that trip that cut it short,
and their mother was never the same again.
“What We Left Unsaid” by Winnie M. Li is a poignant, deeply relatable novel that takes
readers on a sweeping road trip across the country with the siblings. Major issues like
racism, homophobia, and xenophobia blend naturally with minor conflicts,
misunderstandings, and accidental offenses. Through each family member’s
perspective, readers see that truth isn’t fixed. It shifts depending on who is searching for
it. This is an emotionally charged story from start to finish.
Book Description from Simon and Schuster:
“The Chu siblings haven’t seen each other in years, but when they’re told that their
ailing mother is scheduled for an operation next month, they agree to visit her
together. Then their mother makes an odd request: before seeing her, they must
go on a road trip together to the Grand Canyon.
Thirty years ago, a strange incident had aborted a previous family road trip there.
No one’s ever really spoken about it, but during this journey, the middle-aged
Chu siblings have no choice but to confront their childhood experience.
Together, Bonnie, Kevin, and Alex travel along Route 66—but as the trip
continues, they realize the Great American Road Trip may not be what they
expected. Facing their own prejudices and those of others, they somehow learn
to bridge the distances between them, the present-day, and their past.”
This suspenseful and evocative book would be a good choice for readers who enjoyed
“Catherine Newman’s Sandwich” or “The Wangs vs. the World” by Jade Chang. Find
copies of these books and “What We Left Unsaid” at Ramsey County Library or on Libby.
