Scan barcode
kelly_e's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- 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
3.75
Title: How to Pronounce Knife
Author: Souvankham Thammavongsa
Genre: Short Stories
Rating: 3.75
Pub Date: April 7, 2020
T H R E E • W O R D S
Touching • Illuminating • Fierce
📖 S Y N O P S I S
How to Pronounce Knife combines 14 short stories following both immigrant and refugees trying to make their way in a new world. From language barriers to struggling to make a living this collection illuminates their hopes, disappointments, love affairs, acts of defiance and above all their pursuit of a place to belong.
💭 T H O U G H T S
I first heard about this collection of short stories after in won the Scotiabank Giller Prize (2020). Short stories aren't something I read often, yet something I'd like to explore on a more frequent basis, and this collection was an excellent place to start.
Each story has its place within the collection and they all opened my eyes to an immigrant experience I've never experienced personally. The intimate prose captured my attention and held it through each of the stories. At times I did want more from some of them. They made me stop and think about what it must be like to leave behind everything you know (oftentimes even family), and to find yourself in a place completely foreign to you.
The stories offered a mixture of humour and reality oftentimes making me feel sad and uncomfortable. It explores a wide array of topics including poverty and linguistic boundaries, community and culture, familial relationships and what it's like navigating new places. And because there is no real sense of place, this collection came across as feeling entirely universal.
How to Pronounce Knife is certainly worth picking up for the incredible writing alone, yet you are also likely to come away changed by each of the unique characters. None of the stories had that 'wow' factor, yet as a whole they speak volumes. I'll definitely be keeping my eye on this hugely talented writer going forward.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• readers wanting to learn more about the immigrant/refugee experience
• fans of the short story
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"To know someone's dislikes was to be close to them."
"We lose each other, or the way we know each other gets lost."
Author: Souvankham Thammavongsa
Genre: Short Stories
Rating: 3.75
Pub Date: April 7, 2020
T H R E E • W O R D S
Touching • Illuminating • Fierce
📖 S Y N O P S I S
How to Pronounce Knife combines 14 short stories following both immigrant and refugees trying to make their way in a new world. From language barriers to struggling to make a living this collection illuminates their hopes, disappointments, love affairs, acts of defiance and above all their pursuit of a place to belong.
💭 T H O U G H T S
I first heard about this collection of short stories after in won the Scotiabank Giller Prize (2020). Short stories aren't something I read often, yet something I'd like to explore on a more frequent basis, and this collection was an excellent place to start.
Each story has its place within the collection and they all opened my eyes to an immigrant experience I've never experienced personally. The intimate prose captured my attention and held it through each of the stories. At times I did want more from some of them. They made me stop and think about what it must be like to leave behind everything you know (oftentimes even family), and to find yourself in a place completely foreign to you.
The stories offered a mixture of humour and reality oftentimes making me feel sad and uncomfortable. It explores a wide array of topics including poverty and linguistic boundaries, community and culture, familial relationships and what it's like navigating new places. And because there is no real sense of place, this collection came across as feeling entirely universal.
How to Pronounce Knife is certainly worth picking up for the incredible writing alone, yet you are also likely to come away changed by each of the unique characters. None of the stories had that 'wow' factor, yet as a whole they speak volumes. I'll definitely be keeping my eye on this hugely talented writer going forward.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• readers wanting to learn more about the immigrant/refugee experience
• fans of the short story
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"To know someone's dislikes was to be close to them."
"We lose each other, or the way we know each other gets lost."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Racial slurs, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Cursing, Death, Hate crime, Death of parent, Grief, Animal death, Sexual content, Violence, Bullying, Child death, and Infidelity
Minor: Rape, Pedophilia, and Sexual assault
distilledreads's review
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I have conflicting feelings about this one. I read it in the early hours of the morning in less than an hour, and while I enjoyed the brief glimpse of each narrator and the undercurrent themes that linked the stories, I wasn’t blown away overall. However, I certainly don’t regret reading it, especially with how quick of a read it was. The writing was simple but evocative, and certain sentences prompted thought and mulled deliberation, I just wish that feeling had been more frequent for me. This is a completely personal preference, but I ended up being disappointed that the short story “How to Pronounce Knife” opened this collection as it ended up being my most enjoyed story and everything else paled slightly in comparison.
“How to Pronounce Knife”: As she watches her father eat his dinner, she thinks of what else he doesn’t know. What else she would have to find out for herself.
“Slingshot”: You can do that with a joke, hide how you feel and mean what you say at the same time, and no one will ask you which it is.
“A Far Distant Thing”: We lose each other, or the way we know each other gets lost.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Death of parent, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Racism, and Sexual assault
kierscrivener's review
emotional
informative
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.0
This is a hard book to rate as it is a short story collection. I liked the stories and many touched on important topics of immigration, identity, femininity, age, child-parent relationships, marriage, English as a second language, essential jobs, and promotion of underqualified white workers over experienced POC.
I loved that it showed a diversity of Laos people and experiences and is set in and written by a Canadian. But for me they are too short to hit impact. I know short stories are often jumping off points for discussions and I would definitely reread these but in many cases I was left impressed but wanting more.
I loved that it showed a diversity of Laos people and experiences and is set in and written by a Canadian. But for me they are too short to hit impact. I know short stories are often jumping off points for discussions and I would definitely reread these but in many cases I was left impressed but wanting more.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Racial slurs, Racism, and Xenophobia
More...