‘A Pho Love Story’ Captures Romantic And Family Love In One Beautiful Tale
I’m simultaneously jealous and excited for the younger generation of Asians who get to grow up reading books that reflect their lived experiences — especially when it comes to immigrant parents.
A Pho Love Story is one such example. On the surface, the book is a very sweet tale about two high school seniors whose families own rival pho restaurants. Of course, despite their feuding families, they end up falling for each other. But although the romance between Bao and Linh was a big part of this story, what I was most drawn to was the portrayal of the immigrant parent-child relationships, as many of the scenarios were really heartwarming and relatable.
Here were a few moments that really stood out for me (don’t worry, no spoilers here!):
🥢 The mention of being disciplined with a pair of chopsticks. I was definitely threatened with these as a kid, which is actually hilarious to think about now.
🥢 When Bao noted Henry Golding as a leading man in Hollywood, alongside Chris Pine and Will Smith. Although Bao is a fictional character, this mention still demonstrates the positive impact of “Crazy Rich Asians” and how important on-screen representation is. I was so delighted to see Golding’s mention in this book!
🥢 Bao talks about being embarrassed by his dad’s accent when he was younger, but now as a teen, this has turned to embarrassment of how people treat his dad because of his accent. I can definitely relate to this as my mom has a slight Chinese accent and I remember not even realizing she had one until a friend pointed it out to me in elementary school.
🥢 At one point, Linh’s mom says, “It's always a game to win, to maintain that we belong here.” That hit home — the feeling of trying to belong, especially in a neighbourhood or a country that doesn’t accept you or treats you like an other. There have been many instances and scenarios in my life where I’ve felt othered, so this really resonated with me.
🥢 The book also covered the idea that immigrant parents don’t want to talk to their kids about the past to protect them, so instead they focus on the present and the future. I agree with this, but I also think immigrant parents don’t talk about the past because we (their kids) never ask or don’t know how to ask them about it. Sometimes opening up and being vulnerable with your parents or kids can be tough.
🥢 And, of course, fighting family friends or family members to pay for the bill. Classic 👌
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It was such a fun, light read, but also really captured the essence of Asian immigrant parents and their relationships with their kids.
💥TL;DR: This might be a teen romance, but the heart of the story is about family relationships and expectations. A great read that will have you craving pho all the way through. 4/5
Read more about A Pho Love Story by Loan Le:
