Kim Thúy was born in Saigon and fled with her family in 1978 to Quebec. She has degrees from the University of Montreal in linguistics and translation and in law and has worked as a translator, interpreter, lawyer, food commentator and restaurateur. Her first novel, “Ru,” is available in 25 countries. Her latest novel is “Vi” (Random House). She has also recently published a cookbook, “Secrets from My Vietnamese Kitchen: Simple Recipes from My Many Mothers” (Random House).