Carolyn Huynh is the author of The Fortunes of Jaded Women and The Family Recipe, two novels that center on multigenerational Vietnamese American families. Her stories are known for their humor, emotional depth, and ensemble casts. In The Family Recipe, she blends historical fiction with contemporary family drama, exploring themes of identity, trauma, and reconnection. We spoke with Carolyn about her writing process, how she handles complex storylines, and what’s next as she moves into screenwriting, playwriting, and genre fiction.

Your first and second novels are family dramedies and feature such a large cast where each family member gets their own viewpoint. There are additional layers of complexity in The Family Recipe with a historical and present-day timeline and the characters scattered in different Little Saigons in the US. How do you keep track of all your characters and their settings and storylines? From a craft perspective, how do you know when you’ve shared enough of a character’s perspective to contribute to the collective family story you want to tell? 

I do love an ensemble cast. Unfortunately, it is a pain each time to map out each character’s journey, motivations, and desires. I have some regret each time I end a character’s arc because I feel like nobody gets “enough” time, due to limited real estate. But I always seem to work better with a lot of different voices in my head, because I like that chaos and energy that comes with an ensemble. I love when storylines and characters diverge from one another, and they have to find a way back to each other. However, my next book will no longer be an ensemble and will be in first person POV. 

I’ve heard you share that you wrote The Fortunes of Jaded Women from a place of childhood nostalgia as you moved home to OC after a decade of working in Seattle. When you began bringing your Vietnamese American characters to life, were there moments that initially didn’t feel so nostalgic or lighthearted to write about, but that you ended up working through because they felt true and worthy of telling in your novel?  

Absolutely. I feel like tackling generational trauma as a writer, while also having to confront it head on and unpack it, is a beast unto itself. It never ever gets easier and I find myself confronting repressed memories each time I write. It’s up to me however, to write the happy ending I have always wanted to see, even if it is rooted in fiction and rather unconventional. 

What do you read, and who do you read? Whose writing, past or contemporary, inspires or informs your work?

I am forever continuously inspired by women and queer authors, poets, and playwrights. I tend to lean dark for my inspirations and what I consume. But my heroes who have remained steadfast over the years are Sayaka Murata, Han Kang, Ling Ma, Sally Rooney, Octavia Butler, Louisa May Alcott, and Tarell Alvin McCraney.

When reading The Family Recipe, I was surprised that much of the book focused on a racially traumatic part of Vietnamese American history (and one that I didn’t learn about until I went to college). It was definitely a more tense read than The Fortunes of Jaded Women. You’ve shared in previous interviews that in writing your first novel, you wanted to tell a story of messy, funny Vietnamese characters that wasn’t Vietnam War-centric. What goals did you have in writing The Family Recipe?

I wanted to challenge myself as a writer and I’ve always been “afraid” of tackling historical fiction. I knew I wanted to capture a piece of forgotten Asian American history but re-contextualize it for contemporary day. I still wanted to keep the same bit of levity, but wrapped in a history lesson.

I know everyone is excited for The Family Recipe’s release this year. But your next book project sounds so wonderfully chaotic: The Department of Arranged Entanglements. Will there be Vietnamese characters, another family dramedy? Do you feel a sense of freedom or thrill through this genre-jumping? Is this book a result of past writing drafts that are now coming into the light as a result of different, receptive times in the publishing industry? 

It’s a joy in any writer’s life to be able to jump genres. It takes on average around two-three years for a book to be written and then published (through traditional publishing). For me, growth has always been a yearning to write more subversive but universal stories and I’ve alway wanted to write a dark, dystopian novel. I’ve had this idea marinating in the back of my mind for a bit, and I’m incredibly fortunate that I’m able to be given the opportunity to jump genres and have the full support of my entire publishing team behind this.

I saw you share on social media that you took a playwriting class. You also announced that Fortunes of Jaded Women will be adapted to a television series! The future of more Vietnamese American actors playing more Vietnamese American roles feels underway. Any updates you’re able to share with us on the TV adaptation? And any creative endeavors after you completed your playwriting class?

I don’t have any concrete updates on the adaptation except that we have written a full pilot script. All we can do now is wait to see how things will shape up! I’ve grown a lot as a writer and have been fortunate enough to be able to pivot into screenwriting as well as playwriting. This year I am a fellow in the Rideback Rise program where I am tackling the feature adaptation of my forthcoming third book—so grateful to have the support of Rise behind this adaptation. I am very excited to also be starting a MFA program in playwriting in the fall of 2025. A lot of good things to come creatively!

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This interview was conducted by Cathy Duong as part of the Author Spotlight series. All featured authors participated in Viet Book Fest 2025, a literary event presented by the Vietnamese American Arts and Letters Association (VAALA). Held on Sunday, April 6, 2025, at the Bowers Museum in Santa Ana, the all-day festival celebrated Vietnamese diasporic voices in literature, culture, and storytelling.