In "Things We Lost to the Water," Eric Nguyen crafts a poignant narrative that delves deep into the heart of family, identity, and resilience. As Huong and her two sons, Tuan and Binh, navigate the murky waters of their new life in New Orleans, they are haunted by the ghost of a husband and father left behind in Vietnam. With lyrical prose, Nguyen explores the chasms of cultural displacement and the unyielding bonds of kinship. As each family member embarks on a personal quest for belonging—struggling against the undercurrents of loss, love, and longing—their stories converge in a testament to the enduring power of family amidst the ebb and flow of life's relentless tides. Set against the backdrop of a city that is both vibrant and vulnerable, Nguyen's debut novel is a reflection on the things we cling to and the things we leave behind. Huong's attempts to forge a new path, Tuan's descent into the shadows of gang life, and Binh's embrace of his identity and sexuality, all underscore the complexities of assimilation and the search for self in a foreign land. When catastrophe strikes, it is the strength of their shared history and the hope of reconciliation that offers a beacon of hope. "Things We Lost to the Water" is a moving saga of survival, a beautifully rendered portrait of the immigrant experience, and a profound meditation on what it means to find home.