Mai Nguyen Books In Order

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Mai Nguyen is a Canadian author popularly known for her debut novel, Sunshine Nails. She is also a National Magazine Award-nominated journalist and a copywriter who has written articles for The Toronto Star, The Washington Post, Wired, and other popular brands. Born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Mai Nguyen is now a resident of Toronto.

In Sunshine Nails, Mai Nguyen weaves a heartwarming narrative around the Tran family, Vietnamese refugees who make a new life for themselves in Toronto, Canada. Tuyet and Xuan Tran, who adopt the names Debbie and Phil to assimilate into their new community, embody the resilience and determination of many immigrant families.

After arriving in 1983, they navigated through various jobs until they finally established their venture, a nail salon aptly named Sunshine Nails. The salon is a beacon of their hopes and dreams.

The salon becomes more than just a business to the Trans; it’s a manifestation of their hard work and sacrifices, akin to an additional member of the family that demands their constant devotion and care. Their children, Jessica and Dustin, grow up witnessing the challenges and triumphs of running a small family business, understanding its significance in their parents’ journey from refugees to entrepreneurs.

The story unfolds in 2016 against the backdrop of the rapidly gentrifying Junction neighborhood in Toronto. This reflects the changing dynamics and challenges small businesses face in such environments. The Tran family’s struggles with Sunshine Nails are compounded by personal upheavals, particularly highlighted by Jessica’s tumultuous return home after an eight-year absence in Los Angeles.

Jessica’s homecoming is fraught with emotional complexity. Estranged from her family, she grapples with feelings of guilt and disconnection. Her return is not triumphant but rather a retreat from her failures and heartbreaks in Los Angeles, including a broken engagement and a career setback. The tension of her reintegration into her family and her refusal to work at Sunshine Nails underscores the novel’s exploration of identity, belonging, and the intricate dynamics of immigrant families.

Mai Nguyen’s Sunshine Nails delves deep into the complexities of identity, classism, and xenophobia through the lens of a family navigating the challenges of immigrant life in Toronto. Jessica, despite her initial reluctance, finds herself working at her family’s nail salon, Sunshine Nails.

This decision sets her on a collision course with Take Ten, a trendy new salon chain that epitomizes the gentrification threatening the fabric of their community. The rivalry that ensues is not merely a business competition but becomes a battleground for identity, values, and belonging.

Jessica’s journey back to Sunshine Nails becomes a conduit for exploring broader societal issues that immigrant families face, challenging the preconceived notions she’s internalized growing up in a society that often looks down on blue-collar immigrant businesses. Her story is a microcosm of the larger immigrant experience, where success is usually measured not by wealth or status but by resilience, community, and the ability to adapt to change.

Her brother Dustin’s storyline intersects with Jessica’s, offering a parallel narrative of struggle and self-discovery. Working at a startup, Dustin’s initial loyalty is tested as he navigates his stagnant career trajectory and burgeoning feelings for a new coworker, Mackenzie. This subplot enriches the novel’s exploration of work and ambition, highlighting the second generation’s challenges in reconciling their personal aspirations with their loyalty to family and cultural heritage.

Debbie’s experience as a Vietnamese immigrant contrast with Jessica’s reality as a Canadian-born individual, revealing the complex layers of identity that immigrant families navigate. Sunshine Nails becomes a story about more than just a family’s struggle to save their business; it’s a profound examination of the immigrant experience, the search for belonging, and the enduring strength of family bonds across generations. Through the trials and transformations of its characters, the novel offers a compelling look at how individuals and families reconcile their past with their present, finding their place in a world that often seeks to define them by where they come from rather than who they are.

Each chapter in the novel explores the lives of the Tran family members through individual chapters that offer unique perspectives. Debbie, Phil, Jessica, Dustin, and Thuy each bring their narratives to the forefront, allowing readers to delve into the intricacies of their relationships, ambitions, and struggles. As with any ensemble cast, the novel invites readers to connect with different characters, finding pieces of themselves reflected in the family’s joys, challenges, and complex interrelations.

Debbie and Phil’s marriage is a testament to the depth of their understanding and love for each other. Despite being together for nearly four decades, they continue to navigate through surprises and challenges, particularly when sustaining their business amidst the competitive pressures of a gentrifying neighborhood.
Their partnership is depicted with a realism that captures both the warmth and the trials of long-term commitment, highlighting how they support and occasionally frustrate each other while striving to keep Sunshine Nails thriving against the odds.

While Sunshine Nails is presented with a lighthearted tone characterized by humor, quick resolutions, and vibrant storytelling, its underlying themes are anything but superficial. Beneath its colorful exterior, the novel addresses profound questions about the nature of work, social class, the divide between generations, and the immigrant experience. It delves into the realities of adapting to a new country, the sacrifices involved in running a family business, and pursuing a better life for the next generation.

The Tran family’s journey epitomizes the challenges and rewards of maintaining a small family business across generations. Despite the lack of traditional benefits such as vacations and retirement plans, Debbie and Phil’s dedication to Sunshine Nails is driven by a deep gratitude and resilience stemming from their past as Vietnamese refugees. Their sacrifices underscore a poignant commentary on the sustainability of family-owned businesses in a changing economic landscape, where personal dreams and family obligations often intersect and clash.
Sunshine Nails thus offers a nuanced exploration of family, gentrification, and the pursuit of the American dream through the lens of a Vietnamese refugee family in Toronto. The novel not only entertains but also invites reflection on the broader implications of maintaining cultural identity, adapting to new realities, and the enduring hope of providing a better future for one’s children. Through the lives of the Trans, Nguyen crafts a compelling narrative that resonates with anyone who has ever grappled with the balance between tradition and progress, duty and aspiration.