A MEMOIR BY SUSAN LIEU
❋
A MEMOIR BY SUSAN LIEU ❋
❋
THE MANICURIST'S DAUGHTER
❋ THE MANICURIST'S DAUGHTER
❋
A MEMOIR BY SUSAN LIEU
❋ A MEMOIR BY SUSAN LIEU
THE MANICURIST'S DAUGHTER
❋
THE MANICURIST'S DAUGHTER ❋
A MEMOIR BY SUSAN LIEU
❋
A MEMOIR BY SUSAN LIEU ❋
❋
THE MANICURIST'S DAUGHTER
❋ THE MANICURIST'S DAUGHTER
THE MANICURIST’S DAUGHTER
An emotionally raw memoir about the crumbling of the American Dream and a daughter of refugees who searches for answers after her mother dies during plastic surgery.
Susan Lieu has long been searching for answers. About her family’s past and about her own future. Refugees from the Vietnam War, Susan’s family escaped to California in the 1980s after five failed attempts. Upon arrival, Susan’s mother was their savvy, charismatic North Star, setting up two successful nail salons and orchestrating every success ― until Susan was eleven. That year, her mother died from a botched tummy tuck. After the funeral, no one was ever allowed to talk about her or what had happened.
For the next twenty years, Susan navigated a series of cascading questions alone.
Why did the most perfect person in her life want to change her body? Why would no one tell her about her mother’s life in Vietnam? And how did this surgeon, who preyed on Vietnamese immigrants, go on operating after her mother’s death? Sifting through depositions, tracking down the surgeon’s family, and enlisting the help of spirit channelers, Susan uncovered the painful truth of her mother, herself, and the impossible ideal of beauty.
Named one of NPR's “Books We Love 2024”
Praise for The Manicurist’s Daughter
“Lieu’s candor about her mother’s faults (body-shaming chief among them) and righteous anger at the surgeon who killed her set this apart from similar fare. It’s a generous portrait of grief that will touch those who’ve struggled with loss...a stirring debut.”
–Publishers Weekly
“... fast-paced, vulnerable, humorous, and empathetic. Lieu’s compassionate epiphanies about her family’s reasons for silences are particularly poignant. An intimate Asian American memoir about family, memory, and grief.”
–Kirkus Review
"With tenacity, wit, and fierce love, Susan Lieu reconstructs the mother she lost – from memory, through detective work, by spirit conjuring...defying all obstacles and naysayers. A high octane roller coaster to healing."
–Thi Bui, author of The Best We Could Do
"The quintessential story of an immigrant's kid―filled to the brim with heartache and hope."
–Gene Luen Yang, author of American Born Chinese
“A beautifully written, poignant, and, at times funny, book about grief, body image and self-awareness — arriving at a place of healing and acceptance of herself and her family.”
–Seattle Times
“Lieu’s achingly honest debut is a stirring addition to Vietnamese American memoirs that will resonate with anyone coping with loss.”
–Booklist
“[Lieu’s] journey to find closure is as vulnerable as an open vein, but eventually leads to a place of acceptance and forgiveness. To feel is to heal, and Lieu’s willingness to embrace emotional honesty is at the heart of The Manicurist’s Daughter.”
–BookPage
“Devastating yet healing, painful yet humorous, epic yet intimate, The Manicurist’s Daughter made my eyes weep yet my heart sing. ”
–Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai, author of The Mountains Sing and Dust Child
“Lieu’s resulting memoir is a stunning feat of investigation, introspection, wit and candor; it braids together family history, grief, body image, food, class, race, and resilience for insight that must not be missed.”
–ELLE Magazine
Read an excerpt
“Even though we were boat people who came to America in 1983, Má’s awful death made us refugees a second time in 1996. We had to rebuild our lives all over again, but instead of doing it together as we had always done with Má at the helm, each of us did it alone in silence. I have tried to process her death with therapists over the years, but retelling the narrative over and over again wears down even the steadiest of treadmills. Without my family providing me with more memories of Má or joining me in processing the worst experience of our lives, I have been stuck running in place going nowhere. And that can make a person do crazy things, like join a cult, track down the killer’s family, seek justice through the help of spirit channelers, and put on a touring one-woman show about my family tragedy. But I’ll get to all of that later.”
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Free Book Club Kit
Enhance your book club experience with Susan’s Book Club Kit! Featuring discussion questions, fun nail salon-themed prompts, and an exclusive interview with Susan, it’s the perfect companion for your group.
