Bycatch by Alexander Blevens
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Rex Thompson has had an interesting life, he has made many a mistake and ultimately made the wrong choices both personally and professionally, but the one he regrets the most is while he was a young man serving his country in the Vietnam War, where he committed a felony before he finished his last tour, he has never spoken about it since, especially since moving to Biloxi Bay and becoming a shrimp fisherman. Anh Truong is the daughter of a Vietnamese immigrant living in the small town of Biloxi Bay with her parents, they have a well off family thanks to the hard work of her parents growing their shrimping business from scratch when they arrived into the country.

Rex has tried to do the best he can for his family, but between working and sinking into his vices, he struggles to stay close to his sons, that is until they come to visit one summer and stayed, but it has not been smooth sailing for these three, as Rex struggled against his vices again and his sons ending up paying for it when they had to look after themselves from a young age, however, without a good role model, they have grown into a couple of ne’er do wells, filled with resentment. One day they are left to their own devices and caught in a strong belief that a particular fisherman had done them wrong, they decide to scuttle his boat, what they do not know is that he was not able to escape and drowned.

As Anh and her family try to come to terms with their loss, she finds a journal her father had kept hidden, it is not east reading for her as it is filled with his experiences during the Vietnam War and the depth of the feelings associated with it. Meanwhile, Rex finds out about the drowned fisherman and realises that it was the man who caught him committing his felony and whom he has avoided while living in the same town, he also works out that it was his two sons who committed the crime, so as the repercussions of his life choices become clear, he has another choice to make, but will it be the right one this time? This is a tale of greed, guilt, lies and forgiveness as the pasts of two men entangle with the present, amid cultural clashes in a small town on the Mississipi Gulf Ciast and as you untangle this web of intrigue, you will be pulled into a history lesson, as well as a lesson in choices and consequences which keeps you hooked throughout.

Reviewed by @roxsannel

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