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A review by harshada
The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen
challenging
dark
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
4.25
Every Historical Fiction book reinstates my love for the genre. I wanted to know about Vietnam's war history from the Vietnamese point of view and it served that purpose very well. I would definitely recommend brushing up on the history before picking this up, just so you can get the subtle nods to certain crucial events and able to match the fiction to history.
I loved how Nguyen describes the events in such brutal honesty. How America used it's biggest weapon - Hollywood, to change the narrative and make it about them being the victim. This propaganda shows Vietnamese to be poor and in need of help even though they beat the uninvited Americans out of their country. The racism towards Asians in the 70s is relevant in many incidents in the book. I was especially surprised to read about one of Hollywood's most racist portrayal in which an American man plays a caricatured, irritable Japanese who is Holly's neighbor in Breakfast at Tiffany's. Not all that glitters is gold, or even diamond.
The plot and themes of this book are spectacular. But the writing is even more marvelous and beautiful. The book hooks you in from page 1 and is fast paced. The English is very rich. I'm not ashamed to admit I had to look up meanings of words several times. Who even knows words like hirsute, foolscap, onomatopoeia, palimpsest and chiaroscuro and uses sentences like "save the prelapsarian montagnard of a bucolic hamlet"?!
I loved how Nguyen describes the events in such brutal honesty. How America used it's biggest weapon - Hollywood, to change the narrative and make it about them being the victim. This propaganda shows Vietnamese to be poor and in need of help even though they beat the uninvited Americans out of their country. The racism towards Asians in the 70s is relevant in many incidents in the book. I was especially surprised to read about one of Hollywood's most racist portrayal in which an American man plays a caricatured, irritable Japanese who is Holly's neighbor in Breakfast at Tiffany's. Not all that glitters is gold, or even diamond.
The plot and themes of this book are spectacular. But the writing is even more marvelous and beautiful. The book hooks you in from page 1 and is fast paced. The English is very rich. I'm not ashamed to admit I had to look up meanings of words several times. Who even knows words like hirsute, foolscap, onomatopoeia, palimpsest and chiaroscuro and uses sentences like "save the prelapsarian montagnard of a bucolic hamlet"?!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape and Torture