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nancydavis's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
I am currently travelling through Laos so wanted to read something from a Laotian author to learn from literature about the country’s complicated and painful recent history.
It turns out the author was actually raised in Canada after being born in a Thai refugee camp, meaning the stories are from the perspectives of Laotian immigrants/descendants in North America, rather than Laotian natives. However many of the stories still very much moved me, and I was able to understand a lot about the culture of Laos despite these stories being set in the West.
The stories are fast-paced and compelling so I got through the book quite quickly. My favourites were: Randy Travis, Picking Worms, Mani Pedi, A Far Distant Thing, Edge of the World, Chick-A-Chee, Slingshot, You Are So Embarrassing and Ewwrrrkk. As a couple of the stories were slightly forgettable or questionable I would give this collection a 4 overall.
Moderate: Racism, Death of parent, and Xenophobia
Minor: Child death, Animal death, and War
blackcatkai's review against another edition
- 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
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.
Graphic: Grief, Racism, Abandonment, Classism, and Sexual content
Moderate: Body shaming, Death, Sexism, Misogyny, and Death of parent
Minor: Sexual assault and Infidelity
sorcha's review
3.75
Graphic: Death of parent and Racism
Moderate: Infidelity
kelly_e's review against another edition
- 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
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."
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
amberinbookland's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Child death, Death of parent, Death, and Abandonment
chichio's review against another edition
- 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
4.75
Favourite stories:
• How to Pronounce Knife
• Randy Travis
• Edge of the World
Graphic: Gaslighting, Grief, Racism, Emotional abuse, Classism, Death of parent, and Cursing
queer_bookwyrm's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
How to Pronounce Knife by Souvankham Thammavongza is a short story collection depicting Laotion immigrants and refugees in daily life. This was a great short read, and a nice break from the Asian inspired fantasy I usually read. It was nice to get the refugee/immigrant perspective.
I loved how unexpected some of the characters are. Thammavangsa writes from the perspective of a seven year old child, a young woman, and old woman, an ex-boxer turned nail salon tech, and a woman obsessed with a country music singer. Each story is unique, but carries the same themes of not fitting in, loneliness, and hopelessness. Don't let that fool you into thinking this is a downer of a read, there was plenty in this that made me smile.
My favorite stories were Slingshot, a story about 70 year old woman who starts a sexual relationship with her 35 year old neighbor; Chick-a-Chee, a story about young immigrant kids going trick-or-treating for the first time; and Mani Pedi, a story about an ex-boxer who starts working at his sister's nail salon and becomes quite popular.
These were a nice look into immigrant life and the unique difficulties they face, but ultimately, these are stories about people's lives and families, the dramatic and the mundane.
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Death of parent and Racism
just_one_more_paige's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Moderate: Grief and Xenophobia
Minor: War, Death of parent, Sexual content, Death, and Violence
mad_is_rad's review
- 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
Minor: Animal death, Death of parent, Sexual assault, and Sexual content
wanderingtales's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
Moderate: Death, Death of parent, Xenophobia, Racism, Infidelity, and Grief
Minor: Rape and Infertility