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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 β’ W O R D S
Touching β’ Illuminating β’ Fierce
π 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.
π 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.
π R E C O M M E N D β’ T O
β’ readers wanting to learn more about the immigrant/refugee experience
β’ fans of the short story
π F A V O U R I T E β’ 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 β’ W O R D S
Touching β’ Illuminating β’ Fierce
π 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.
π 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.
π R E C O M M E N D β’ T O
β’ readers wanting to learn more about the immigrant/refugee experience
β’ fans of the short story
π F A V O U R I T E β’ 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
vihi_s's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Rape, Xenophobia, and War
Minor: Sexual assault
sadie_g's review
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
3.25
I enjoyed this collection a lot more than I thought I would, just because I usually donβt read short stories but it was very good. My favourites were Mani Pedi and The Universe Would Be So Cruel.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism
Moderate: Rape
elwirax's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
slow-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
3.0
How to Pronounce Knife was varied in terms of plots and characterisation (people with very different experiences) but the overarching focus was on Asian immigrant identity and finding purpose.
Thammavongsa's ability to craft such complex characters in a short amount of pages is very impressive. The exploration of these people's joys and struggles was done realistically and really made me feel for them.
There were a few good stories and a few i didn'tlike as much, such is the issue with most short story collection. However, my favourites were Paris, Randy Travis, You are so Embarrassing, and The Universe Would be so Cruel.
Overall, this was a good short story collection and I definitely want to pick up more from Thammavongsa in the future.
Thammavongsa's ability to craft such complex characters in a short amount of pages is very impressive. The exploration of these people's joys and struggles was done realistically and really made me feel for them.
There were a few good stories and a few i didn'tlike as much, such is the issue with most short story collection. However, my favourites were Paris, Randy Travis, You are so Embarrassing, and The Universe Would be so Cruel.
Overall, this was a good short story collection and I definitely want to pick up more from Thammavongsa in the future.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Xenophobia
Minor: Pedophilia, Sexual assault, and Rape
wanderingtales's review
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Death of parent, Xenophobia, Racism, Infidelity, and Grief
Minor: Rape and Infertility
anna_23's review
dark
emotional
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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content, Xenophobia, and Racism
Minor: Infidelity, Sexual assault, and Rape
biblizo's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape and Sexual assault
Moderate: Bullying, Death, Hate crime, and Racism
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