Published 4th August 2026 by Quercus.
From the cover of the book:
TWO SISTERS. ONE PAINTING. A LONG-LOST SECRET.
From the bestselling author of Banyan Moon comes a captivating, evocative story of two estranged sisters on a quest to find a painting by a forgotten Vietnamese artist that holds the truth of their family's fractured past.
Aside from the fact they are sisters, Vivi and Calla Nguyễn have little in common.
Vivi, the eldest, lives an orderly and predictable life. Working as an art conservator at a museum in Chicago, she carefully preserves pieces of the past, all the while refusing to examine her own dark history.
Calla leads a much bolder, if occasionally reckless, existence. An accomplished artist with a flair for the dramatic, she is charming and intriguing to everyone she meets. She's also a recovering addict, constantly causing Vivi to worry.
Months after the two fall out in the wake of their father's death, Calla appears on the steps of the museum with a sketch and a letter found in their father's belongings. The sketch is an exact copy of Blue Mirror, a striking painting by a Surrealist Vietnamese painter named K.P. Lý. In the letter, Lý writes about a mysterious lost work of art that Calla is convinced is meant for her and Vivi to find together. Intrigued yet reluctant to follow her capricious sister, Vivi must decide whether she's willing to face or shut the door to the past.
From the ghostly Wisconsin woods to a glittering estate in the French countryside to a disintegrating ancestral home teetering on the edge of a ravine in Việt Nam, The Seekers of Deer Creek is a story of sisters, art, and the irresistible gravity of the past-how it endures across time and generations, always present even when buried.
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Sisters, Vivi and Calla Nguyễn have little in common. Quiet and controlled, Vivi is a respected art conservator at a museum in Chicago. Reckless Calla is an artist, whose life is filled with chaos and drama. From their youth in rural Wisconsin, Vivi has been used to keeping Calla safe - originally from their father, who lost himself to drink once his wife left; and then as adults, from the addictions that always threaten to pull her down... something that is becoming increasingly more difficult.
Following their father's death Vivi and Calla have been at odds, with Vivi unable to forgive the transgressions that made their childhood so difficult. Vivi has thrown herself into her work, preparing for an exhibition about enigmatic Surrealist Vietnamese painter K.P. Lý - with the striking portrait Blue Mirror at its heart. Meanwhile, Calla has returned home to Deer Creek, grieving the loss of a man she has tried unsuccessfully to convince Vivi was not the one she remembers.
Months after their fall out, Calla appears on the steps of the museum with a letter and sketch she has found in their father's belongings - both of which seem to have no place amongst them. The sketch is an exact copy of Blue Mirror and the letter, in K.P. Lý's handwriting, speaks of a lost work of art. Calla ia sure their is a mystery to unravel connected to their own family - one that she and Vivi were destined to solve...
This incredible novel is equal parts poignant journey into family secrets, and intriguing art mystery - both of which are very much on my list of favourite things to read about!
The story bleeds between present and past, through the perspective of Vivi and glimpses of their complex family history, as they follow a trail of clues that lead to the truth about K.P. Lý and their legacy. An ocean of pain and trauma lies between the sisters, and there are a lot of emotional hurdles to overcome on a journey that takes them from American galleries and lecture halls, to the French countryside, and eventually to a village in Vietnam where the answers they seek free them from the things that bind them.
Thao's writing is wonderful: lyrical and compelling, full of poetical turns of phrase, and thrumming with evocative themes that explore sisterhood, alienation, the things we deny ourselves, and dysfunctional families torn apart by the weight of their emotional burdens. She beautifully explores the barriers that are thrown up between parents and children that make them strangers, particularly when it comes to immigrants - and I am in awe of the way she uses the notion of 'seeking' on many levels, as well as the echoing theme of the colour blue.
This is one of those books filled to the brim with atmospheric locations that become backdrops for stirring moments in history and relationships, set against the rich and varied world of art. I was utterly consumed by a mystery that tugs you gently onwards as the sisters discover heart-breaking truths, confront things unsaid, and find a way to move forward with their lives... tears were shed.
Easily one of my favourite books of the year. I adored it!
The Seekers of Deer Creek is available to buy now in hardcover, ebook and audio formats.
Thank you to Quercus for sending me a review copy of this book:
About the author:
Thao Thai is a writer living in Ohio with her husband and daughter. Her work engages with tangled family relationships and the intersections of motherhood and identity. She's been published in Cup of Jo, Eater, Catapult, Sunday Long Read, and more. A recipient of the Barbara Deming Memorial Fund, she has also been nominated for multiple Pushcart Prizes and earned fellowships in creative writing. She received her MFA from the Ohio State University and her MA from the University of Chicago.
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