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jayisreading's review
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
4.5
Thammavongsa took “short” in short stories quite seriously, as a handful of them only took a few minutes to read. However, she packed so much into each story while using sparse prose, much of which focused on what it meant to be part of an immigrant family in Canada. One could almost think of these stories as short reels of day-to-day life for different Lao families, since these stories magnified the seemingly more mundane moments. While each story is self-contained, I immediately understood Thammavongsa’s intention to present a deeply complex and vibrant community of Lao immigrants and refugees, and I especially appreciated that many of these characters deeply reflected on their identity.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Racism
Minor: Sexual assault
blackcatkai's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
CW: racism, classism, abandonment, sexual content, grief, death, sexism, body shaming, implied infidelity, mentions of sexual assault
a short story collection about the immigrant experience of multiple characters from laos to canada. some are sweet, others heartbreaking, all of them are pretty great looks into culture, family, and belonging (or the search of them). i like the way thammavongsa writes and will probably be reading more of her work in the future. some stories felt a bit cut off, ending at points that felt like there should be more, but i'd recommend this to anyone who enjoys more emotional short story collections or slice of life character driven narratives.
a short story collection about the immigrant experience of multiple characters from laos to canada. some are sweet, others heartbreaking, all of them are pretty great looks into culture, family, and belonging (or the search of them). i like the way thammavongsa writes and will probably be reading more of her work in the future. some stories felt a bit cut off, ending at points that felt like there should be more, but i'd recommend this to anyone who enjoys more emotional short story collections or slice of life character driven narratives.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Racism, Abandonment, Classism, and Sexual content
Moderate: Body shaming, Death, Sexism, Misogyny, and Death of parent
Minor: Sexual assault and Infidelity
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
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
rexpostfacto's review against another edition
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? It's complicated
4.5
A beautiful collection of short stories.
Content Warnings
Minor: Racism, Xenophobia, and Sexual assault
thewordsdevourer's review
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
this collection of short stories reads like a much needed addition to the canon of american classics, one thats reflective of the diversity of current society, from a group of ppl whose voice's rarely heard.
how to pronounce knife reminds me of lucia berlin's stories in all the best ways w/ its subtle melancholy and humor, quick reversals, and tales of the marginalized's many struggles. i like how some of the stories defy social norms and taboos (slingshot and ewwrrrkk in particular), and many dont pan out the way i expected them to.
i also enjoy reading abt laotians of every kind, abt how life turns out for them after the supposed HEA of their successful refugee journeys across the sea or sky. sure, america offers them a new home, but it's def not an easy one, a new reality w/ racism, discrimination, scorn, and indifference from others.
overall, this is a reflective, quiet, bittersweet yet revealing book that is an undoubtedly good read.
how to pronounce knife reminds me of lucia berlin's stories in all the best ways w/ its subtle melancholy and humor, quick reversals, and tales of the marginalized's many struggles. i like how some of the stories defy social norms and taboos (slingshot and ewwrrrkk in particular), and many dont pan out the way i expected them to.
i also enjoy reading abt laotians of every kind, abt how life turns out for them after the supposed HEA of their successful refugee journeys across the sea or sky. sure, america offers them a new home, but it's def not an easy one, a new reality w/ racism, discrimination, scorn, and indifference from others.
overall, this is a reflective, quiet, bittersweet yet revealing book that is an undoubtedly good read.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content, Racism, Injury/Injury detail, Infidelity, and Death
Minor: Sexual assault, Abandonment, and Medical content
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
mad_is_rad's review
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Minor: Animal death, Death of parent, Sexual assault, and Sexual content
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
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