A review by brightgreenink
The Magic Fish by Trung Le Nguyen

emotional hopeful fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

5.0

Trung Le Nguyen’s art is a masterpiece. The shifting color palettes between Tiên’s story, Helen’s flashbacks, and the fairy tales that are told is wonderfully done. It’s less of a coming out story than it is a story about love. The love Helen has for her family, the love Tiên and his friends share, and the love they have for fairy tales. Being a kid in the late ‘90s, it’s hard for Tiên to tell his parents he’s gay, partially because he doesn’t quite know the words to say in Vietnamese.

When Tiên is forcibly outed by his teacher and a priest, Helen gives Tiên what she has always given him: her love, fairy tales, and the hope of a happy ending.