Reviews

The Sympathiser by Viet Thanh Nguyen

katherinethegreat's review against another edition

5.0

Unlike any book I’ve read before. The prose was interestingly structured and it’s pretty dense. But within that there is a first-person narrative of a war I haven’t much learned about - and it’s a great story. Highly recommend. 

aidanhotte's review against another edition

medium-paced

4.75

mmaier40's review against another edition

adventurous challenging 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

4.25

gjwyatt's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

3.0

dmsehnert's review against another edition

challenging dark hopeful reflective 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

5.0

what’s more precious than freedom and independence? 

love? happiness? 

nothing. but what is nothing? is it tangible? can it take up space in the recess of our minds? you did nothing.
how do we reconcile with that? what would you confess? maybe these are questions only a man with two faces and a man of two minds can answer. 

revolutions are, simply put, deeply complex.  

“what do those who struggle against power do when they seize power?” 
 
perhaps, they sit and remember. the pen and paper as their lonely companions down an old, yet familiar road. maybe they live to fight another day despite it all?

there were so many incredible sections of this novel but i have to everything relating to  the auteur and the set of the hamlet blew me away - incredible allusions to apocalypse now and francis ford coppola! americans love to tell other people their own stories, play out their bloodshed on a big, shiny screen while maintaining their own fraudulent heroism.

viet thanh nguyen, you are a genius! i am merely your student! 

peytonnora's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

rosasreads's review against another edition

adventurous tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

sagoprojector's review against another edition

challenging dark funny mysterious 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

3.5

Viet Tranh Nguyen’s style in examining what the Vietnamese experience is like in the land of the free is a double-edged sword: an espionage thriller that manages to be witty and full of satire, but with prose that doesn’t always work for me. Nonetheless, this is still a good book detailing not only the struggle of being a spy and an immigrant post-Vietnam War, but also an authentic tale of friendship shared in times of calamity. 

stephmelanson's review against another edition

dark funny informative reflective sad 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

4.0

chrys_marin's review against another edition

3.0

Having grown up in South America I never learned much about the Vietnam War (the extent of my knowledge was that it happened in the 70s and that America lost). So it was very interesting to follow the story of a Vietnamese communist spy playing the role of American friend while informing his party back in Vietnam. The main character is so likeable because, although I could not relate to the context or the experience, his personal struggles were completely recognisable, especially for anyone who has felt divided growing up (for any reason, in my case I come from an international marriage). The writing is excellent and the narrative is funny, even though the topic itself is not. The author manages to convey the story through someone who life has made him a cynic, which in turn makes any internal dialogue witty and ironic. At the same time, the beauty for me is that no matter how much of a cynic, the main character still has hope and wants to believe in the kindness of his fellow humans, even though they keep disappointing him again and again.

We also have the story and historic context itself. The way the plot developed it reminded me a bit of the drum role feeling I got when I read Dicken's "A Tale of Two Cities," how the first 300 pages or so slowly move seeming not going anywhere in particular just to reach quickly a climax and teach you that history just repeat itself and that the oppressed, when in power, will also become the oppressors.

Overall, an interesting, well-written book with a great main character.