Scan barcode
A review by annreadsabook
The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
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? Yes
5.0
This book can easily pegged as both a spy thriller and searing social commentary, so if you like either or both of those topics, you are definitely in for some good reading.
We view life through the eyes of the book’s protagonist, an unnamed half-Vietnamese, half-French agent who acts as a spy for the North after fleeing Vietnam during the capture of Saigon. The narrator, a self-proclaimed “spook,” navigates life as someone who finds himself teetering the fence between dual identities in many aspects. Through this character, Viet Thanh Nguyen grapples with questions of white saviorism, the US military industrial complex (and Hollywood’s role in stoking that flame), racism, and US culture so skillfully (and, at times, with a pinch of humor) that I’m sad when I have to put it down.
I honestly don’t want to say much more about it right now because there’s so many layers to this book and I don’t want to spoil it for anyone!!
We view life through the eyes of the book’s protagonist, an unnamed half-Vietnamese, half-French agent who acts as a spy for the North after fleeing Vietnam during the capture of Saigon. The narrator, a self-proclaimed “spook,” navigates life as someone who finds himself teetering the fence between dual identities in many aspects. Through this character, Viet Thanh Nguyen grapples with questions of white saviorism, the US military industrial complex (and Hollywood’s role in stoking that flame), racism, and US culture so skillfully (and, at times, with a pinch of humor) that I’m sad when I have to put it down.
I honestly don’t want to say much more about it right now because there’s so many layers to this book and I don’t want to spoil it for anyone!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Violence, Murder, Racism, Rape, Sexual violence, Death, and War