The Fortunes of Jaded Women: A Novel

A WASHINGTON POST BEST FEEL-GOOD BOOK OF THE YEAR

For fans of Amy Tan, KJ Dell’Antonia, & Kevin Kwan, this “sharp, smart, & gloriously extra” (Nancy Jooyoun Kim, author of The Last Story of Mina Lee) debut celebrates a family of estranged Vietnamese women who experiences mishaps & unexpected joy after a psychic makes a startling prediction about their lives.

Everyone in Orange County’s Little Saigon knew that the Duong sisters were cursed.

It started with their ancestor, Oanh, who dared to leave her marriage for true love—so a fearsome Vietnamese witch cursed Oanh & her descendants so that they would never find love or happiness, & the Duong women would give birth to daughters, never sons.​

Oanh’s current descendant Mai Nguyen knows this curse well. She’s divorced, & after an explosive disagreement a decade ago, she’s estranged from her younger sisters, Minh Pham (the middle & the mediator) & Khuyen Lam (the youngest who swears she just runs humble coffee shops & nail salons, not Little Saigon’s underground). Though Mai’s three adult daughters, Priscilla, Thuy, & Thao, are successful in their careers (one of them is John Cho’s dermatologist!), the same can’t be said for their love lives. 

Mai is convinced they might drive her to an early grave. Desperate for guidance, she consults Auntie Hua, her trusted psychic in Hawaii, who delivers an unexpected prediction: this year, her family will witness a marriage, a funeral, & the birth of a son. This prophecy will reunite estranged mothers, daughters, aunts, & cousins—for better or for worse.

A multi-narrative novel brimming with levity & candor, The Fortunes of Jaded Women is about mourning, meddling, celebrating, & healing together as a family. It shows how Vietnamese women emerge victorious, even if the world is against them.

Carolyn Huynh grew up in Orange County, California.