New Orleans natives are typically thought of as descendents of the Africans, French and Spanish who arrived on the Gulf Coast in the 17th century. But for nearly 50 years, the city has also been home to a community of Vietnamese immigrants. Eric Nguyen gives us an intimate look at that community through the fictionalized lives of a mother and her sons in his debut novel ”Things We Lost to the Water.” It was our May selection for Bookmarked: The Under the Radar Book Club.

Eric Nguyen — editor-in-chief of diaCRITICS