Reviews

The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen

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offboss's review against another edition

3.0

An enjoyable read, I think it straddles the line between "thriller" fiction and lit-fiction fairly well. The narrator (and generally the novel) is interesting, funny, and insightful. It's a pretty unique book about being on the outside of (every) society. I think occasionally the prose holds it back by becoming a little too intentionally literary/"look-at-me".

I read this shortly after Milkman and I think the comparison is a good illustration of the (recent) Pulitzers vs Man Bookers. Milkman is more subtle and inscrutable (pleasantly and and not without reward).

alexanderjd's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny 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? Yes

4.5

Giving all my airtime here to the rape scene towards the end- which was where I took a break. Fucking brutal, first time I’d come across one in print that made me feel as disturbed as watching it onscreen. Never liked it in film, or found it necessary - it’s trickier with literature. Conclusion I came to after the initial knee jerk reaction of horror/disgust in the scene’s inclusion (programmed more for tv) was the purpose it serves narratively and structurally. Maybe it goes on for a bit too long, maybe there are sections I would have cut - but it’s not trauma porn, which I think is key. Very much still on theme (I.e. devastating byproducts of war that aren’t just male lives lost in combat), and kind of punctuates a thread of sexual exploitation that’s been running through the whole book. However in comparison to other scenes in the book regarding physical violence, not sexual, the author knows how to be graphic without being gratuitous, and he tiptoed over the line there for me. Again, in his defence, most authors could’ve ruined the entire book by doing that, and like I said, he tiptoes over the line rather than bulldozing past it. Docking a half star for that alone. Rest of it completely earned that Pulitzer (hence my lack of commentary asides from that)

abcd135's review against another edition

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challenging dark tense medium-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? It's complicated

3.0

rubyjubbbaddiel's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny informative reflective sad tense medium-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? It's complicated

3.0

laurakershaw's review against another edition

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5.0

I loved this book. I thought the narrative structure was so interesting. It was very dense, but still felt raw. The descriptions were like he was hiding even in his thoughts. Made me want to know everything about the Vietnam war (especially the parts that weren't taught in school). Best spy novel I've ever read just due to the psychology of the main character. The author made such smart choices consistently and that made the book feel unique.