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Table of Contents
About The Book
In this “gem of a book that sparkles with longing and hope and healing” (J.C. Cervantes, New York Times bestselling author), estranged siblings find themselves competing to inherit their father’s Vietnamese sandwich franchise and unravel family mysteries.
Duc Tran, the eccentric founder of the Vietnamese sandwich chain Duc’s Sandwiches, has decided to retire. With the help of the shady family lawyer, Duc informs his five estranged adult children that to receive their inheritance, his four daughters must revitalize run-down shops in old-school Little Saigon locations across America: Houston, San Jose, New Orleans, and Philadelphia—within a year. But if the first-born (and only) son, Jude, gets married first, everything will go to him.
Each daughter is stuck in a new city, battling gentrification, declining ethnic enclaves, and messy love lives, while struggling to modernize their father’s American dream. Jude wonders if he wants to marry for love or for money—or neither. As Duc’s children scramble to win their inheritance, they begin to learn the real intention behind the inheritance scheme—and the secret their long-lost mother kept tucked away in the old fishing tackle box, all along.
Destined “to become an instant favorite” (Liza Palmer, author of Family Reservations), The Family Recipe is about rediscovering one’s roots, different types of fatherly love, legacy, and finding a place in a divided country where the only commonality among your neighbors is the universal love of sandwiches.
Duc Tran, the eccentric founder of the Vietnamese sandwich chain Duc’s Sandwiches, has decided to retire. With the help of the shady family lawyer, Duc informs his five estranged adult children that to receive their inheritance, his four daughters must revitalize run-down shops in old-school Little Saigon locations across America: Houston, San Jose, New Orleans, and Philadelphia—within a year. But if the first-born (and only) son, Jude, gets married first, everything will go to him.
Each daughter is stuck in a new city, battling gentrification, declining ethnic enclaves, and messy love lives, while struggling to modernize their father’s American dream. Jude wonders if he wants to marry for love or for money—or neither. As Duc’s children scramble to win their inheritance, they begin to learn the real intention behind the inheritance scheme—and the secret their long-lost mother kept tucked away in the old fishing tackle box, all along.
Destined “to become an instant favorite” (Liza Palmer, author of Family Reservations), The Family Recipe is about rediscovering one’s roots, different types of fatherly love, legacy, and finding a place in a divided country where the only commonality among your neighbors is the universal love of sandwiches.
About The Author
May Xiong
Carolyn Huynh is a novelist, screenwriter, and playwright. She loves writing about acerbic women who never learn from their mistakes but yearn for joy. Her debut novel, The Fortunes of Jaded Women, was a Good Morning America book club pick and picked as one of the best books of the year by NPR. A homegrown Californian, she resides in Los Angeles with her partner, her daughter, and her demon girl dog. Fetal Position is her third book. When she’s not writing, Carolyn daydreams about having iced coffee on a rooftop in Ho Chi Minh City.
Product Details
- Publisher: Atria Books (April 1, 2025)
- Length: 320 pages
- ISBN13: 9781668033067
Raves and Reviews
"Huynh keeps up the momentum with lively dialogue. Readers are in for a treat." —Publishers Weekly
" A chaotic journey of personal discovery, love, and healing unfolds as the siblings learn more about their family's experiences grappling with racism, generational trauma, and survival as Vietnamese refugees. Laced with humor and heartbreak, Huynh’s (The Fortunes of Jaded Women, 2022) storytelling shines through the cacophony of Tran family dynamics. As she tells of family, food, and fractured relationships through her characters, universal themes of belonging and resilience will resonate with readers of all backgrounds." —Booklist
"Blend family intrigue and drama with long held secrets and you get a gem of a book that sparkles with longing and hope and healing." —New York Times bestselling author J.C. Cervantes
"Carolyn Huynh has done something extraordinary with The Family Recipe. By seamlessly weaving the intricate lives of the Tran family, Huynh creates a story so lyrical and compelling it is certain to become an instant favorite. Huynh is a master storyteller who’s firing on all cylinders in The Family Recipe.” —Liza Palmer, author of Family Reservations
"What fun to be a fly on the wall as the five siblings in The Family Recipe stumble over their own rivalries and shortcomings to become the sole inheritor of their whimsical father’s fortune. Money, love, family dysfunction – Huynh hits all the marks with a perfect blend of playfulness and angst, while her characters’ troubles show astutely how the cracks in a family unit mirror a fractured community. The Trans make messy choices, but wow, are they hard not to love. An infinite delight." —Laura Warrell, author of Sweet, Soft, Plenty Rhythm
"Carolyn Huynh offers another deft example of irresistible wit and fast-paced storytelling in her latest novel, The Family Recipe, a whip-smart homage to (and critique of) that most fraught of ideologies—the American dream. This deliciously daring take on a marriage plot novel combines ambitious scope with a host of characters whose desires and struggles root deep into readers' hearts. Huynh has established herself as an inimitable voice of the Vietnamese American diaspora, one whose novels never disappoint." —Thao Thai, author of Banyan Moon
"Carolyn Huynh once again shares her wondrous ability to blend humor, history, and heart through her intricately woven story. With wit, warmth, and insight, she brings to life the powerfully haunting experience of survival and sacrifice for the Tran family, their secrets and struggles pushing them to a reckoning point. In The Family Recipe, Huynh explores complicated, fraught relationships and examines the sacrifices of reaching for the American dream, all while delighting us with her unforgettable characters. Vivid, whimsical, and wonderfully satisfying." —Diane Marie Brown, author of Black Candle Women
"This story about bickering Vietnamese American siblings and their secretive elders is a funny yet poignant tale of one family's search for belonging and understanding." —Charmaine Wilkerson, New York Times bestselling author of Black Cake
"The Family Recipe is a page-turning delight. Filled with multi-generational family drama, memorable characters, and delicious food, Huynh's latest is a timely, globe-trotting literary feast you won't want to end." —J. Ryan Stradal, New York Times bestselling author of Kitchens of the Great Midwest
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