Sunshine Nails is a moving and lighthearted story about a Vietnamese-Canadian family in danger of losing their nail salon when a flashy American chain salon moves into their neighbourhood. I loved meeting the Tran family, and their story of their rather rustic Nails Nails Nails going up against the much pricier and glossier Take Ten is sadly all too realistic.
One salon entertains customers with Judge Judy on a TV screen; the other offers WiFi, flower petal pedicures, and elegant cocktails. Much as we cheer for the Trans to win, we know community support can only do so much, particularly in a neighbourhood like the Junction in Toronto, where gentrification has already sunk its tendrils into all sorts of nooks and crannies. Then the Trans’ landlord jacks up their rent to almost double the amount, and a developer is set to demolish a nearby heritage building for office and condo spaces. The Tran family is at the heart of this story, but in many ways, so is the city of Toronto, and part of the fun of reading this is recognizing all the Toronto landmarks Nguyen mentions.
At the heart of it all are the various members of the Tran family: Phil and Debbie, who came to Canada by boat with only the jade ring Debbie tucked behind her upper lip to make her too ugly for pirates to capture; their daughter Jessica, who escaped her family’s nail salon for a glamorous career in LA, only to return when she lost both her job and fiance; their son Dustin, who works ridiculous amounts of overtime at the tech company, only for his charismatic boss to consistently deny him a raise; and their niece Thuy, who immigrated to Canada with dreams of becoming a nurse, but works at the family nail salon out of a sense of duty.
Phil and Debbie go to extreme lengths to save their salon and their family. I love how loving their marriage is, and how respectful they are of each other, and I especially love how the author manages to convey this when neither character is demonstrative with their feelings. There’s a fantastic scene where they have sex, and it begins with an adorable will they/won’t they dialogue that’s clearly become a ritual over the years. Afterwards, Phil tells Debbie she looks beautiful, and she responds by asking if he remembered to take the bitter melon out of the tamarind juice. It’s a perfectly incongruous response that says so much more about their years together than a sweet nothing ever could. And even when they do things later in the story that disappoint the other, the bond between them is still so clearly unshakeable that I can just tell: this marriage will last, no matter what.
Jessica and Dustin go through their own character arcs, basically of learning to appreciate their family, their family’s business, and the neighbourhood they call home. Jessica’s story arc is somewhat more developed; Dustin’s sudden activism against gentrification doesn’t quite tie into the main nail salon plot as neatly as Jessica’s taking a job at the salon does. And for Jessica in particular, the direction her story took is both heartwarming and uplifting; she’s a big reason the story ends on a note of hope that the legacy Phil and Debbie have built over the past twenty years will live on in the next generation.
But for me, the highlight among the next generation’s stories is that of Thuy. She’s the immigrant cousin who postponed her dreams to support her family — both those in Canada who gave her a home, and those back in Vietnam, who’ve pinned their hopes for a better home on her. Unlike Jessica and Dustin, Thuy didn’t have the luxury of shaping her own destiny in Canada; her life here is very much dependent on her aunt and uncle, and she doesn’t quite feel she has the same right that her cousins do to push back. The scene where her friends from ESL class invite her to watch a movie with them is both relatable and heartbreaking. Her excitement at finally making friends is palpable, and I especially love the detail that she’s glad the movie they selected is an action film, because those are easy enough to follow even if you’re still learning the language. Yet when her uncle Phil calls because they need her at the nail salon, there isn’t even a question of whether or not she could say no.
In so many ways, she’s also the superstar among their employees, yet she’s also the most overlooked. She’s their most skilled nail tech, the go-to for fancy designs, yet it’s only when Jessica gets good reviews online that Phil and Debbie find something to gush about. When Phil needs to cut wages so he can afford the rent, Thuy is the only one who doesn’t complain, yet her cooperation is immediately minimized by a reminder that she lives with her aunt and uncle rent-free. Thuy’s is the story that most found a place in my heart, and when she finally makes a momentous decision for her own benefit, I was cheering her on all the way.
Overall, this is a touching story of family, immigration, and the struggles of keeping both your and your family’s dreams alive. Kudos to the author for writing such a heartfelt and emotional story with such a light touch. This is an easy read despite the deep emotions it evokes, and definitely a highlight for summer reading.
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Thank you to Simon and Schuster Canada and Word on the Street Toronto for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
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