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Table of Contents
About The Book
“Delightful....A funny yet poignant tale of one family’s search for belonging and understanding.” —Charmaine Wilkerson, New York Times bestselling author
From the author of the “sharp, smart, and gloriously extra” (Nancy Jooyoun Kim, New York Times bestselling author) Good Morning America Book Club Pick The Fortunes of Jaded Women, a stunning family dramedy about estranged siblings competing to inherit their father’s Vietnamese sandwich franchise and unravel family mysteries.
Duc Tran, the eccentric founder of the Vietnamese sandwich chain Duc’s Sandwiches, has decided to retire. No one has heard from his wife, Evelyn, in two decades. She abandoned the family without a trace, and clearly doesn’t want anything to do with Duc, the business, or their kids. But the money has to go to someone. With the help of the shady family lawyer, Duc informs his five estranged adult children that to receive their inheritance, his four daughters must revitalize run-down shops in old-school Little Saigon locations across America: Houston, San Jose, New Orleans, and Philadelphia—within a year. But if the first-born (and only) son, Jude, gets married first, everything will go to him.
Each daughter is stuck in a new city, battling gentrification, declining ethnic enclaves, and messy love lives, while struggling to modernize their father’s American dream. Jude wonders if he wants to marry for love or for money—or neither. As Duc’s children scramble to win their inheritance, they begin to learn the real intention behind the inheritance scheme—and the secret their mother kept tucked away in the old fishing tackle box, all along.
The Family Recipe is about rediscovering one’s roots, different types of fatherly love, legacy, and finding a place in a divided country where the only commonality among your neighbors is the universal love of sandwiches.
From the author of the “sharp, smart, and gloriously extra” (Nancy Jooyoun Kim, New York Times bestselling author) Good Morning America Book Club Pick The Fortunes of Jaded Women, a stunning family dramedy about estranged siblings competing to inherit their father’s Vietnamese sandwich franchise and unravel family mysteries.
Duc Tran, the eccentric founder of the Vietnamese sandwich chain Duc’s Sandwiches, has decided to retire. No one has heard from his wife, Evelyn, in two decades. She abandoned the family without a trace, and clearly doesn’t want anything to do with Duc, the business, or their kids. But the money has to go to someone. With the help of the shady family lawyer, Duc informs his five estranged adult children that to receive their inheritance, his four daughters must revitalize run-down shops in old-school Little Saigon locations across America: Houston, San Jose, New Orleans, and Philadelphia—within a year. But if the first-born (and only) son, Jude, gets married first, everything will go to him.
Each daughter is stuck in a new city, battling gentrification, declining ethnic enclaves, and messy love lives, while struggling to modernize their father’s American dream. Jude wonders if he wants to marry for love or for money—or neither. As Duc’s children scramble to win their inheritance, they begin to learn the real intention behind the inheritance scheme—and the secret their mother kept tucked away in the old fishing tackle box, all along.
The Family Recipe is about rediscovering one’s roots, different types of fatherly love, legacy, and finding a place in a divided country where the only commonality among your neighbors is the universal love of sandwiches.
About The Author
May Xiong
Carolyn Huynh loves writing about messy Asian women who never learn from their mistakes. Her debut book, The Fortunes of Jaded Women was a Good Morning America book club pick and is being adapted for television by Heyday Studios and Universal. Her sophomore book, The Family Recipe, comes out in 2025. When she’s not writing, Carolyn daydreams about having iced coffee on a rooftop in Ho Chi Minh City.
Product Details
- Publisher: Atria Books (April 1, 2025)
- Length: 320 pages
- ISBN13: 9781668033067
Raves and Reviews
"Blend family intrigue and drama with long held secrets and you get a gem of a book that sparkles with longing and hope and healing." —New York Times bestselling author J.C. Cervantes
"Carolyn Huynh has done something extraordinary with The Family Recipe. By seamlessly weaving the intricate lives of the Tran family, Huynh creates a story so lyrical and compelling it is certain to become an instant favorite. Huynh is a master storyteller who’s firing on all cylinders in The Family Recipe.” —Liza Palmer, author of Family Reservations
"What fun to be a fly on the wall as the five siblings in The Family Recipe stumble over their own rivalries and shortcomings to become the sole inheritor of their whimsical father’s fortune. Money, love, family dysfunction – Huynh hits all the marks with a perfect blend of playfulness and angst, while her characters’ troubles show astutely how the cracks in a family unit mirror a fractured community. The Trans make messy choices, but wow, are they hard not to love. An infinite delight." —Laura Warrell, author of Sweet, Soft, Plenty Rhythm
"Carolyn Huynh offers another deft example of irresistible wit and fast-paced storytelling in her latest novel, The Family Recipe, a whip-smart homage to (and critique of) that most fraught of ideologies—the American dream. This deliciously daring take on a marriage plot novel combines ambitious scope with a host of characters whose desires and struggles root deep into readers' hearts. Huynh has established herself as an inimitable voice of the Vietnamese American diaspora, one whose novels never disappoint." —Thao Thai, author of Banyan Moon
"Carolyn Huynh once again shares her wondrous ability to blend humor, history, and heart through her intricately woven story. With wit, warmth, and insight, she brings to life the powerfully haunting experience of survival and sacrifice for the Tran family, their secrets and struggles pushing them to a reckoning point. In The Family Recipe, Huynh explores complicated, fraught relationships and examines the sacrifices of reaching for the American dream, all while delighting us with her unforgettable characters. Vivid, whimsical, and wonderfully satisfying." —Diane Marie Brown, author of Black Candle Women
"This story about bickering Vietnamese American siblings and their secretive elders is a funny yet poignant tale of one family's search for belonging and understanding." —Charmaine Wilkerson, New York Times bestselling author of Black Cake
"The Family Recipe is a page-turning delight. Filled with multi-generational family drama, memorable characters, and delicious food, Huynh's latest is a timely, globe-trotting literary feast you won't want to end." —J. Ryan Stradal, New York Times bestselling author of Kitchens of the Great Midwest
Resources and Downloads
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- Book Cover Image (jpg): The Family Recipe eBook 9781668033067
- Author Photo (jpg): Carolyn Huynh May Xiong(0.1 MB)
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