A review by ciarrareads
The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen

challenging dark mysterious 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

A tense spy novel with searing political and cultural commentary that brings light to a side of the Vietnam (or American, depending on where you are from) War that is not normally seen. The story is dense, and at times chaotic and frustrating, but there are also so many important and eye-opening criticisms and ideas to take away. Point blank, it's just so important to consume art from the point of view of people who are not a dominant power. One criticism I'll make is that men... just love to write about women in a certain way... and I'll just leave it at that lol. I understand why some of the character's had to be the way that they did, but there's a running theme with all the women, even the protagonist's mother, that just didn't really need to be there for ALL of them in my opinion.
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