Forget a picture being worth a thousand words. What if a painting could unlock decades of family secrets? In Thao Thai’s The Seekers of Deer Creek, straitlaced art conservator Vivi Nguyễn and her sister, Calla, a free-spirited artist, haven’t spoken since their father’s funeral. That all changes a few months later, when Calla shows up at Vivi’s workplace with two items she found among his belongings: a sketch of Blue Mirror, a piece by a renowned Vietnamese painter, and a mysterious letter written by the artist himself. What follows is a whirlwind journey that takes the sisters across the globe — from eerie Wisconsin woods to a French countryside estate to their ancestral home in Vietnam — in search of the truth about the painting and what it means for their family. We asked Thai a few questions. Here’s what she had to say…
Q: What's your favorite unapologetic indulgence?
Thai: I love a catnap. Give me a breezy afternoon, windows open, not a soul who needs me. That’s my nirvana.
Q: What’s a corner of the internet you recently discovered?
Thai: Nostalgic home videos from the 1990s. Shaky camera angles, saturated color, boxy television sets, printed sofas — the way those scenes make me feel safe and held. I’m teary just thinking about it.
Q: What's one thing that’s made you 10% happier?
Thai: Saturday Sourdough. I make myself a loaf each week and I look forward to it every morning. (Technically, my family is allowed to partake, but let’s face it: The bread consumption is unilateral.)
Q: What’s the last thing you read that you can’t stop thinking about?
Thai: I Who Have Never Known Men, a 1995 sci-fi novel by Jacqueline Harpman. It’s about a dystopian world in which 40 women are imprisoned in an underground bunker without meaningful contact with the outside world. It’s very thought-provoking.
Q: What’s the one place everyone needs to visit?
Thai: Vietnam, naturally. It’s an unforgettable country with a long and complicated history. The art is stunning, the culture resilient, and the food bar none.
Q: What’s one thing everyone needs to watch?
Thai: Widow’s Bay. I didn’t realize that Hilarious-Spooky Coastal Gothic was a genre, but now I can’t get enough. Also: Sea Hag Summer. That’s all you need to know.
Q: What is your most prized possession?
Thai: My mother’s wedding ring, from her past marriage to my father. It’s a reminder of the love and hope rooted in even those journeys that must end.
Q: If you could be the world’s leading expert on one thing, what would it be?
Thai: I’d love to know how to properly introduce cats. I’m spending untold time on this research at the moment and am no closer to an answer for my hissing fur balls.
Q: What’s one recipe everyone should make?
Thai: Banana bread! Who doesn’t have a few brown bananas laying around? (Simply Recipes has the very best banana bread recipe I have found.)
Meanwhile, on the internet…
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