Reviews tagging 'Gun violence'

The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen

46 reviews

caseythereader's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Fatphobia, Gun violence, Racism, Sexual violence, Racial slurs, War, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Abandonment, Blood, Colonisation, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Child death, Cursing, Grief, Rape, Violence, Gore, and Murder

brucy's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Rape, and Gun violence

kellylover86's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

This book was engaging. A look at the Vietnam War from the perspective of a Vietnamese soldier, a double agent working for the communists and informing on the South Vietnamese soldiers. Lots happened in this book, and it was interestingly written.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Torture, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Death of parent, Rape, Sexual content, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Excrement, Gun violence, Alcoholism, Police brutality, Murder, Death, War, Forced institutionalization, Classism, Violence, and Colonisation

eher1305's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Murder, Police brutality, Rape, War, Colonisation, Alcoholism, Cursing, Sexual assault, Torture, Violence, Death, Gun violence, and Injury/Injury detail

pich's review against another edition

my teacher got in trouble for assigning us this book oops 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Gun violence, Death, Violence, and Sexual content

jillaay_h's review against another edition

challenging dark funny mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Gun violence, Xenophobia, and Racism

natazabala's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Blood, Xenophobia, Rape, War, Murder, Gun violence, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Alcoholism

itismebruna's review against another edition

dark emotional sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Sexual assault, War, Alcohol, Gun violence, Sexual violence, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Racial slurs

veronicats's review against another edition

dark tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Violence, Gore, Racism, Death, Medical content, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, War, Sexual content, Slavery, Misogyny, Police brutality, Religious bigotry, Alcoholism, Colonisation, Sexual violence, Vomit, Blood, Body horror, Confinement, Cursing, Murder, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Rape, Excrement, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Grief, Gun violence, Racial slurs, and Torture

stanro's review against another edition

5.0

This an amazing book that I stumbled upon. Being of a vintage to have attended Vietnam War moratoria, and having visited Vietnam in 2010, I had to read this multi-awarded book when it crossed my sight lines. 

The plot is interesting enough. A Eurasian intelligence officer (and communist spy) on the staff of a South Vietnam general. As Saigon falls they escape, eventually to the USA, where he continues to report to his handler. 

The book is about friendship, betrayal, politics and the revolutionary mind.

Though I thoroughly recommend this, I warn that there is some troubling reading of violence, in war, in intelligence and in torture.

A friend wrote this to me about it. 

The Sympathiser was a fascinating story. The notion of being able to live two lives, one inside your head and another you project to the world was fascinating. I found the protagonist's capacity to rationalise his decisions to betray and murder sadly familiar as it seems to be a common characteristic of true believers of any cause. Frighteningly I think we’re all capable of it given the right circumstances

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence and Torture