Reviews with content warning for Genocide - Afterparties

This was such a good collection of short stories, and it’s unbelievably heartbreaking to know that So’s career was cut short. Something I really appreciated about each short story was this striking balance of wry humor and quiet grief. So explored the distinct experience of being Cambodian American, queer, a child of refugees, and more. His stories almost seemed to exist outside of time in the way they simultaneously touch on past, present, and future. It’s not to say these stories existed in their own bubbles but, rather, So poignantly took into consideration (generational) trauma and memory and their impact across time. These stories were twinged with care and love, weaving in the Khmer language and culture into the blanket of the United States to create a space for Cambodian Americans.

I honestly enjoyed all of these stories for very different reasons, which I think demonstrates So’s talent. (Though, like any book, it’s not going to be for everyone.)

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karenreader's review

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emotional reflective sad 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? Yes

4.75

Short story collection about the children and grandchildren of Cambodian refugees living in the same area. Stories are well written and cover a lot of big topics.

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maregred's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny inspiring mysterious reflective sad slow-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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mandkips's review

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challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? N/A
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? N/A
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

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thewordsdevourer's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.5

afterparties is an interesting book that refreshingly features cambodians and cambodian americans - a rarely spotlighted group - and the byproduct is a semi-interconnecting set of original, unpredictable, sometimes startlingly provocative yet darkly humorous short stories, though i feel like some of them could've been more impactful.

every ethnic group always has a set of commonalities that binds them, yet as so adeptly illustrates here, they are multifaceted and far from being a monolith. i learn a lot abt cambodian culture and the u.s. cambodian community - despite them being a lil similar to my own - but i also enjoy this for its purely fictional aspect, w/ a particular favorite being "human development."

the different immigrant struggles, family conflicts, legacy of intergenerational trauma are examined through various characters and storylines. although they're effective in varying degrees, i often find myself smirking and snorting bc of the dark humor that only the marginalized and survivors know to espouse, while also startled by the off-handed mentions of trauma and violence, a firm reminder that the genocide that sent this group of ppl to where they reside happened not long ago, yet it's also not talked abt enough in the mainstream.

from this volume, it's clear that so was a literary force to be reckoned w/, someone whose future work i would've looked forward to. ig we'll all have to make do w/ afterparties, a nonetheless notable work.

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