Literature Reviews - 2025

Comprehensive Review of The Magic Fish by Trung Le Nguyen

Introduction

The Magic Fish is a YA graphic novel that seamlessly blends fairy tales, family dynamics, cultural identity, and LGBTQ+ themes into a deeply moving story. Written and illustrated by Trung Le Nguyen, the novel follows Tiến, a young Vietnamese-American boy, as he navigates the challenges of coming out to his immigrant parents while struggling with language barriers and cultural expectations.

The novel is structured around multiple storytelling layers: Tiến’s real-life journey, his mother Hiền’s memories of Vietnam, and interwoven fairy tales from both Western and Vietnamese traditions. The use of color-coded panels (red for the present, yellow for the past, and blue for fairy tales) enhances the reading experience, visually guiding readers through the different timelines and emotional beats.

Plot Summary

At its heart, The Magic Fish is a story about communication and connection—between parent and child, between cultures, and between the stories we tell ourselves and those we inherit.

Tiến’s Story: Identity and Communication

Tiến, a 13-year-old boy living in the U.S. in the 1990s, is the son of Vietnamese immigrants. His parents fled Vietnam as refugees and have worked hard to build a life for him in America. Tiến loves reading fairy tales with his mother, a practice that began as a way for her to improve her English but has since become a shared ritual of love and bonding. However, there’s something Tiến struggles to express to his parents—he is gay.

One of the novel’s most poignant struggles is Tiến’s inability to find the right words in Vietnamese to explain his sexuality. While he is fluent in English, his parents are not, and the language barrier makes it difficult for him to communicate something so deeply personal. This issue is exacerbated by his exposure to homophobia in the world around him, including a brief but powerful moment when he hears about the real-life murder of Matthew Shepard, a gay college student in Wyoming.

Through the fairy tales he reads with his mother, Tiến tries to navigate his emotions, hoping that the stories will help bridge the gap between his feelings and his ability to express them.

Hiền’s Story: Immigration, Loss, and Cultural Displacement

Tiến’s mother, Hiền, has her own struggles. As a refugee who left Vietnam in the aftermath of the war, she carries the pain of separation from her homeland and family. She feels guilt and sorrow over not being able to visit her mother before she passed away, and she worries about how much of her Vietnamese culture and language she is passing down to her son.

Hiền’s story is particularly resonant for readers who understand the immigrant experience—the difficulty of maintaining cultural ties while trying to build a new life, the struggle of raising a child in a foreign land, and the silent grief of homesickness.

The novel delicately explores her fears of losing her son—not just to American culture but also in a more personal sense. She knows Tiến is going through something but doesn’t know how to reach him. Like Tiến, she also struggles with finding the right words to express herself.

Fairy Tales: Metaphors for Change and Growth

Fairy tales play a crucial role in The Magic Fish, serving as both a narrative device and a symbolic reflection of Tiến and Hiền’s internal struggles. Trung Le Nguyen includes three major fairy tales:

1. Tấm Cám (Vietnamese Cinderella Story): Hiền recalls this tale when she returns to Vietnam after her mother’s passing. This version of Cinderella is more violent than the Western version, symbolizing Hiền’s difficult journey as an immigrant and the sacrifices she has had to make.
2. Allerleirauh (German Cinderella Variant): This story is shared between Tiến and Hiền, mirroring Tiến’s fear of revealing his true self. It is a story about a princess forced to hide her identity, much like Tiến is hiding his sexuality from his family.
3. The Little Mermaid: This tale is crucial to the novel’s resolution. Traditionally, The Little Mermaid is a tragic story about transformation, sacrifice, and longing for something just out of reach. In the novel, however, Hiền reimagines the ending—giving the mermaid a happy ending where she finds love with a woman, subtly acknowledging and accepting Tiến’s identity.

These fairy tales serve multiple purposes: they parallel the main characters’ experiences, provide insight into their emotions, and offer a means of non-verbal communication. They also highlight the power of storytelling in shaping identity and finding belonging.

Themes and Analysis

1. The Power of Storytelling

One of the novel’s central themes is how storytelling can connect people across generations and cultures. Fairy tales become a shared language between Tiến and Hiền, allowing them to express emotions they struggle to articulate in everyday conversation. The novel also highlights how stories evolve—whether through translation, cultural reinterpretation, or personal adaptation—showing that narratives are fluid and deeply personal.

2. Identity and Self-Discovery

Tiến’s struggle with his sexuality is portrayed with great sensitivity. Unlike many LGBTQ+ narratives that focus on external conflict or rejection, The Magic Fish takes a more introspective approach. Tiến is not tormented by self-hatred or societal oppression; rather, his primary struggle is finding the words to communicate who he is to his parents. His experience reflects a reality for many queer children of immigrants, who must navigate not only cultural expectations but also linguistic barriers.

3. Immigration and Generational Gaps

Hiền’s journey as a refugee highlights the sacrifices and emotional burdens of immigrant parents. She grapples with guilt over leaving Vietnam, anxiety over raising a child in a foreign country, and uncertainty about how much of her cultural heritage she is preserving. This struggle is compounded by her language barrier, which makes it difficult for her to fully connect with Tiến.

4. Art and Visual Storytelling

Trung Le Nguyen’s illustrations are breathtaking. His use of a limited color palette—red for the present, yellow for the past, and blue for fairy tales—helps guide the reader through the narrative’s shifting timelines. His Art Nouveau-inspired line work, intricate patterns, and expressive character designs elevate the storytelling, making every panel visually captivating.

Each fairy tale segment has a unique artistic style, reflecting its cultural and thematic roots. The detailed clothing designs, from Vietnamese áo dài to European ball gowns, further enhance the novel’s rich aesthetic.

Strengths of the Novel

✅ Emotionally Resonant: The novel beautifully captures the complexities of family, love, and identity.
✅ Gorgeous Artwork: The illustrations are stunning, with thoughtful design choices that enhance the story.
✅ Seamless Narrative Structure: The transitions between reality and fairy tales feel natural and meaningful.
✅ Cultural and LGBTQ+ Representation: The novel offers an authentic and nuanced portrayal of a queer Vietnamese-American experience.
✅ Hopeful and Uplifting: Unlike many coming-out narratives, The Magic Fish offers a hopeful resolution, emphasizing love and understanding.

Potential Weaknesses

❌ Abstract Middle Section: Some readers may find the transition between Hiền’s trip to Vietnam and the accompanying fairy tale less clearly connected to the main story.
❌ Short Length: The novel is relatively short, and some readers may wish for deeper exploration of certain themes.

Final Thoughts

The Magic Fish is an exquisite, heartfelt, and visually stunning graphic novel. Trung Le Nguyen’s ability to weave together folklore, personal history, and LGBTQ+ themes results in a story that is both deeply personal and universally resonant. The novel reminds us that stories have the power to connect us, help us express what words cannot, and ultimately guide us toward our own happy endings.