A review by erenreads12
The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen

adventurous dark funny 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

3.75

Some aspects of this felt a little confusing - I felt as though this book wasn't quite what I expected from the description; less a tale of espionage and more a commentary of media and literature in the wake of the Vietnam War, with admittedly very elegant and deep understanding of race and racism. This wasn't necessarily a bad thing - more that it simply wasn't quite what I anticipated. The last 100 pages or so, however, were brutal and unexpected - equally well written, but somehow out of kilter with the relatively jovial themes running through the rest of the book. Overall a confusing read, but still engaging and interesting.
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