A review by katreads2022
Em by Kim Thúy

challenging dark hopeful sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? N/A
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

Brilliant work by Kim Thúy. I can only imagine the beauty of the work in its original French. Even in its translated version the prose stands out as particularly gorgeous. In a very staccato-like fashion Vietnamese history is traversed with a compelling cast of characters with short, blunt paragraphs. Sometimes I find narrative disjunction to be annoying or pretentious, here it perfectly emulates the messiness of reality and this tragic period. The craft in “Em” is simply superb and merits a read, if not a reread.
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