A review by callanisreading
The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad 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? It's complicated

5.0

The Captain — the man with two faces — serves as a communist mole within the Southern Vietnamese army as Saigon falls. To continue his surveillance, the Captain retreats to America, where he navigates life between two countries that will not fully accept him. In this beautifully layered exploration of politics, culture, and belief, the man with two faces embodies at once the ways we are divided and the ways we are painfully similar.