For fans of Kevin Kwan, this sharp and tender debut follows a family of estranged Vietnamese women – cursed to never know love or happiness – as they reunite when a psychic makes a startling prediction.
Everyone in Orange County’s Little Saigon knew that the Duong sisters were cursed. Their ancestor Oanh dared to leave her marriage for true love – and became cursed so she and her descendants would never find love or happiness, and would only give birth to daughters, never sons.?
Oanh’s current descendant Mai Nguyen knows this curse well. She’s divorced, and after an explosive disagreement a decade ago, she’s estranged from her younger sisters, Minh Pham (the middle and the mediator) and Khuyen Lam (the youngest who swears she just runs humble coffee shops and nail salons … not Little Saigon’s underground). Mai’s three adult daughters, Priscilla, Thuy and Thao, are successful in their careers, but the same can’t be said for their love life.
Desperate for guidance, she consults Auntie Hua, her trusted psychic, who delivers an unexpected prediction: this year, her family will witness a marriage, a funeral and the birth of a son. This prophecy will reunite estranged mothers, daughters, aunts and cousins – for better or for worse.
Filled with joy and humour, The Fortunes of Jaded Women is about mourning, meddling, celebrating and healing together as a family.
