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claire_the_bookworm's review against another edition
challenging
dark
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, War, Violence, Torture, Sexual assault, and Murder
erenreads12's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Some aspects of this felt a little confusing - I felt as though this book wasn't quite what I expected from the description; less a tale of espionage and more a commentary of media and literature in the wake of the Vietnam War, with admittedly very elegant and deep understanding of race and racism. This wasn't necessarily a bad thing - more that it simply wasn't quite what I anticipated. The last 100 pages or so, however, were brutal and unexpected - equally well written, but somehow out of kilter with the relatively jovial themes running through the rest of the book. Overall a confusing read, but still engaging and interesting.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Rape, Torture, War, and Violence
Moderate: Racism
bjerz's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
The Sympathizer is like a perfect sculpture, achingly beautiful as you gaze upon it, then you realize that the face is twisted into an ugly, distorted mask of agony. The writing is challenging (I had to look up a LOT of words) yet both delicious and often funny. You will come away with a new appreciation of what the victims of war go through.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Colonisation, Cursing, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Murder, Racism, Rape, and Sexual violence
annreadsabook's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book can easily pegged as both a spy thriller and searing social commentary, so if you like either or both of those topics, you are definitely in for some good reading.
We view life through the eyes of the book’s protagonist, an unnamed half-Vietnamese, half-French agent who acts as a spy for the North after fleeing Vietnam during the capture of Saigon. The narrator, a self-proclaimed “spook,” navigates life as someone who finds himself teetering the fence between dual identities in many aspects. Through this character, Viet Thanh Nguyen grapples with questions of white saviorism, the US military industrial complex (and Hollywood’s role in stoking that flame), racism, and US culture so skillfully (and, at times, with a pinch of humor) that I’m sad when I have to put it down.
I honestly don’t want to say much more about it right now because there’s so many layers to this book and I don’t want to spoil it for anyone!!
We view life through the eyes of the book’s protagonist, an unnamed half-Vietnamese, half-French agent who acts as a spy for the North after fleeing Vietnam during the capture of Saigon. The narrator, a self-proclaimed “spook,” navigates life as someone who finds himself teetering the fence between dual identities in many aspects. Through this character, Viet Thanh Nguyen grapples with questions of white saviorism, the US military industrial complex (and Hollywood’s role in stoking that flame), racism, and US culture so skillfully (and, at times, with a pinch of humor) that I’m sad when I have to put it down.
I honestly don’t want to say much more about it right now because there’s so many layers to this book and I don’t want to spoil it for anyone!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Violence, Murder, Racism, Rape, Sexual violence, Death, and War
ronpayne's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
informative
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Torture, Violence, War, Xenophobia, Sexual violence, Racism, Murder, Gore, Fatphobia, and Death
kaseyd's review against another edition
dark
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Racism, Rape, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Torture, Violence, War, and Xenophobia
bookmarkparty's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Well, I can see why this won a Pulitzer… such a unique and fascinating read!
This book came out in 2015, but I’m so glad I read it when I did. The parallels between the first few chapters and current events were truly uncanny.
While the Sympathizer is a work of fiction, its historical and political commentary is quite masterful. Beginning in 1975 at the tail-end of the Vietnam War (or the American War, as the Vietnamese refer to it), the book opens with our narrator and his “allies” fleeing to the airport in hopes of escaping Vietnam as Saigon falls to communist rule. After surviving numerous bombings at the airport and successfully fleeing to the United Sates aboard one of the last flights out of the county, our narrator - a communist spy serving as a captain in the South Vietnamese army - starts a new life in Los Angeles. Far from home, our protagonist is tasked with keeping an eye on the resistance as he maintains relationships with his fellow South Vietnamese refugees and reports back to the Viet Cong…. because “wars never die, they just go to sleep.”
I’ve read several Pulitzer Prize winning books that I enjoyed but didn’t necessarily feel were worthy of the most prestigious literary award. However, The Sympathizer deserves all the high praise. Not only does the book shed incredible light on the legacy of the Vietnam War in literature, media and politics, but it’s laced with humor and self-deprecating satire as well as difficult-to-read historical evidence that proves no party is ever innocent in war.
One of the most interesting parts of the book, for me at least, was the reflection on the US involvement in (and sudden withdrawal from) the Vietnam War. The author, a Vietnamese American, leaves no party unscathed in his critique on the war and American culture.
“After all, nothing was more American than wielding a gun and committing oneself to die for freedom and independence, unless it was wielding that gun to take away someone else’s freedom and independence.”
If you are remotely interested in history, politics, international relations and/or just excellent literature, this is a must read!
This book came out in 2015, but I’m so glad I read it when I did. The parallels between the first few chapters and current events were truly uncanny.
While the Sympathizer is a work of fiction, its historical and political commentary is quite masterful. Beginning in 1975 at the tail-end of the Vietnam War (or the American War, as the Vietnamese refer to it), the book opens with our narrator and his “allies” fleeing to the airport in hopes of escaping Vietnam as Saigon falls to communist rule. After surviving numerous bombings at the airport and successfully fleeing to the United Sates aboard one of the last flights out of the county, our narrator - a communist spy serving as a captain in the South Vietnamese army - starts a new life in Los Angeles. Far from home, our protagonist is tasked with keeping an eye on the resistance as he maintains relationships with his fellow South Vietnamese refugees and reports back to the Viet Cong…. because “wars never die, they just go to sleep.”
I’ve read several Pulitzer Prize winning books that I enjoyed but didn’t necessarily feel were worthy of the most prestigious literary award. However, The Sympathizer deserves all the high praise. Not only does the book shed incredible light on the legacy of the Vietnam War in literature, media and politics, but it’s laced with humor and self-deprecating satire as well as difficult-to-read historical evidence that proves no party is ever innocent in war.
One of the most interesting parts of the book, for me at least, was the reflection on the US involvement in (and sudden withdrawal from) the Vietnam War. The author, a Vietnamese American, leaves no party unscathed in his critique on the war and American culture.
“After all, nothing was more American than wielding a gun and committing oneself to die for freedom and independence, unless it was wielding that gun to take away someone else’s freedom and independence.”
If you are remotely interested in history, politics, international relations and/or just excellent literature, this is a must read!
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Death, Torture, Murder, Rape, Racism, and Xenophobia
ainereads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Grief, Gun violence, Murder, Rape, Sexual violence, Torture, and Violence
Moderate: Alcoholism, Blood, Child death, and Racism
fluoresensitive's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Tw; rape, so ... So many unsettling things
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Beautifully written, but shockingly anti-Black at times. Not to mention the two rapes that take place, oof.
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Beautifully written, but shockingly anti-Black at times. Not to mention the two rapes that take place, oof.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Alcoholism, Blood, Violence, Xenophobia, Torture, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Sexual violence, Racism, Racial slurs, Rape, Police brutality, Physical abuse, Pedophilia, Murder, Mental illness, Forced institutionalization, and Death
caidyn's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
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
4.0
Wow. This book. I started it yesterday and couldn't put it down until I was finished. This book was absolutely amazing. I so enjoyed it, even though I was repulsed by it at times. The narrator is so flawed. He's sexist, borderline homophobic, and has done/witnessed horrible things without stopping them. Yet, I was compelled to read it in one sitting. I cannot wait to read the next book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Homophobia, Misogyny, Racism, Rape, Sexism, and Xenophobia