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aevynlan's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
bianca89279's review against another edition
5.0
“We were the unwanted, the unneeded, and the unseen, invisible to all but ourselves. Less than nothing, we also saw nothing as we crouched blindly in the unlit belly of our ark… Even among the unwanted there were unwanted, and at that, some of us could only laugh. The prostitutes scowled at us and said, What do you want? We, the unwanted, wanted so much. We wanted food, water, and parasols, although umbrellas could be fine. We wanted clean clothes, baths, and toilets, the squatting kind … “
I am generally not a fan of sequels, tie-ins, but since this was written by Viet Thanh Nguyen, I jumped at the opportunity to read this eARCs, in which we encounter the Sympathizer, from the Pulitzer winner book with the same name. In the Sympathizer he spent some years in the United States, following the end of the Vietnam war. In this novel, he’s a refugee in Paris, France, in the early 1980s. What a brilliant idea to have this most charismatic, intelligent, tormented, ambiguous character spend time in the country that colonised Vietnam, his father's country, a father who had never recognised him.
The Committed is a masterclass in writing, with one of the most exquisite unreliable narrators I’ve ever come across. He’s intelligent and well-read, philosophical, self-aware, self-deprecating and immensely funny. I’ve highlighted quite a few paragraphs. Our character epitomizes complexity. His views on colonialism, racism, ideology, Vietnamese people and culture, French people and culture and so many other things blew me away, yet again. Occasionally, I found myself giggling, delighting in the narrator’s observations and cheekiness.
While my enjoyment of this novel did dip here and there, the peaks were so many and so high, I have to rate this 5 stars, as it's on another level.
The Committed will definitely make it on my list of 2021 favourite reads.
I've received this eARC via Edelweiss in exchange for my honest opinion. My gratitude to Grove Atlantic for the opportunity to read and review this novel.
I am generally not a fan of sequels, tie-ins, but since this was written by Viet Thanh Nguyen, I jumped at the opportunity to read this eARCs, in which we encounter the Sympathizer, from the Pulitzer winner book with the same name. In the Sympathizer he spent some years in the United States, following the end of the Vietnam war. In this novel, he’s a refugee in Paris, France, in the early 1980s. What a brilliant idea to have this most charismatic, intelligent, tormented, ambiguous character spend time in the country that colonised Vietnam, his father's country, a father who had never recognised him.
The Committed is a masterclass in writing, with one of the most exquisite unreliable narrators I’ve ever come across. He’s intelligent and well-read, philosophical, self-aware, self-deprecating and immensely funny. I’ve highlighted quite a few paragraphs. Our character epitomizes complexity. His views on colonialism, racism, ideology, Vietnamese people and culture, French people and culture and so many other things blew me away, yet again. Occasionally, I found myself giggling, delighting in the narrator’s observations and cheekiness.
While my enjoyment of this novel did dip here and there, the peaks were so many and so high, I have to rate this 5 stars, as it's on another level.
The Committed will definitely make it on my list of 2021 favourite reads.
I've received this eARC via Edelweiss in exchange for my honest opinion. My gratitude to Grove Atlantic for the opportunity to read and review this novel.
manyhours's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I couldn't resonate with it. Has some good passages about colonialism and freedom and identity.
anchorlouise's review against another edition
3.0
A long awaited sequel to one of my favorite books, The Sympathizer. Unfortunately I struggled to love this book. Nguyen is a clever and artful writer, but I found myself confused in the drug fueled haze of the stream of consciousness and philosophical musings that I didn’t think moved the plot forward. It complicated the flow of the book, and I found myself just wanting to get back to the main plot and action. That said, I adore Nguyen and his ability to capture the inner workings of his protagonist’s mind and his struggles with identity. He also eloquently describes the political climate, colonialism, racism and class in France.
constantreader471's review against another edition
3.0
3 stars for a book that is overloaded with the tortured mind of a Vietnamese spy now in France. I decided to read this book because i had read and enjoyed 2 books previously by this author.
The steam of consciousness writing, with an emphasis on the ideas of various philosophers is at times confusing and too much information. That, plus depictions of torture, detracted from the enjoyment of the book.
On the plus side, there is some interesting commentary from the Vietnamese point of view on American society, French colonizers and present French society.
One quote, a self description: "Perhaps that was just another name for a man with two faces and two minds. If so, at least I knew who I was, and that was more than could be said for most. The dual images of myself floating in his lenses reminded me that I was not one, but two, not only me or moi but also, on occasion, we or us."
Thanks to Grove Atlantic for sending me this book through NetGalley.
#TheCommitted #NetGalley
The steam of consciousness writing, with an emphasis on the ideas of various philosophers is at times confusing and too much information. That, plus depictions of torture, detracted from the enjoyment of the book.
On the plus side, there is some interesting commentary from the Vietnamese point of view on American society, French colonizers and present French society.
One quote, a self description: "Perhaps that was just another name for a man with two faces and two minds. If so, at least I knew who I was, and that was more than could be said for most. The dual images of myself floating in his lenses reminded me that I was not one, but two, not only me or moi but also, on occasion, we or us."
Thanks to Grove Atlantic for sending me this book through NetGalley.
#TheCommitted #NetGalley
ascoular's review against another edition
5.0
It’s very ambitious to write a sequel to a Pulitzer Prize winning book! Dare I say, I enjoyed the sequel more? This book gave me a lot of Crime and Punishment vibes and was captivating the whole way through. A tough but rewarding read.
samantha_shain's review against another edition
4.0
Some of the writing was absolutely pitch-perfect, and this worked exceptionally well as a sequel, both explaining, elaborating, and problematizing events from the prequel. This book was much more cerebral and philosophical, which some readers might find tedious but I quite enjoyed. I was quite surprised by (what I experienced as) a twist at the ending! I think "the sympthizer" or no-name will always be endeared in my mind. Viet Thanh Nguyen should be considered one of the great writers of our generation.
liberrydude's review against another edition
4.0
This is a dark descent into depravity well told. A great discussion on philosophy and political science throughout the book as the main character finally realizes he believes in nothing. Or does he not? Much like the first book captured Conrad’s Heart of Darkness this one is like a Vietnamese version of the film The Deer Hunter.
Vo Danh, the Communist double agent, has been released from re-education camp in Vietnam. Instead of returning to the USA he goes to Paris. His blood brother, Bon, who is fervently anti-communist, accompanied him. They get jobs in the worst restaurant in the city which is a cover for an Asian gangster. Vo soon becomes a drug dealer peddling hashish to the French bourgeois. Bon is burning with revenge to get the commissar who presided over their camp. Ghosts of the men Vo has killed come to him in his dreams. Gang warfare starts with the Algerians. It’s ugly involving torture with hammers and Russian roulette. But an opportunity under the guise of Vietnamese culture presents itself for the long awaited showdown with Bon’s nemesis.
Lots of great lines in the book.
Charm is but the seduction of subjugation.
the homeliness of one’s own people was always comforting. Page 33
That’s the problem with loyalty. The Boss sighed. It’s great until it’s a pain in the ass. Page 40
I mastered English without ambivalence because it had never mastered us. Page 54
There was no need for the French to condemn us. So long as we spoke in their language, we condemned ourselves.
Page 55
Nothing is so expensive as what is given for free. Page 60
The American Way of Life! Eat too much, work too much, buy too much, read too little, think even less, and die in poverty and insecurity. Page 63
I’m wondering whether the story is over or will there be a third book. Quite a surprising ending.
Vo Danh, the Communist double agent, has been released from re-education camp in Vietnam. Instead of returning to the USA he goes to Paris. His blood brother, Bon, who is fervently anti-communist, accompanied him. They get jobs in the worst restaurant in the city which is a cover for an Asian gangster. Vo soon becomes a drug dealer peddling hashish to the French bourgeois. Bon is burning with revenge to get the commissar who presided over their camp. Ghosts of the men Vo has killed come to him in his dreams. Gang warfare starts with the Algerians. It’s ugly involving torture with hammers and Russian roulette. But an opportunity under the guise of Vietnamese culture presents itself for the long awaited showdown with Bon’s nemesis.
Lots of great lines in the book.
Charm is but the seduction of subjugation.
the homeliness of one’s own people was always comforting. Page 33
That’s the problem with loyalty. The Boss sighed. It’s great until it’s a pain in the ass. Page 40
I mastered English without ambivalence because it had never mastered us. Page 54
There was no need for the French to condemn us. So long as we spoke in their language, we condemned ourselves.
Page 55
Nothing is so expensive as what is given for free. Page 60
The American Way of Life! Eat too much, work too much, buy too much, read too little, think even less, and die in poverty and insecurity. Page 63
I’m wondering whether the story is over or will there be a third book. Quite a surprising ending.
suzypeevey's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
mustakarppi's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
reflective
tense
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
4.0