The Sympathizer (Pulitzer Prize Winner) by Viet Thanh Nguyen
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Web ID: 4133360Intense and smart
The Sympathizer is phenomenally and intelligently written - the imagery is visceral, evocative, and realistic and it builds its story on historical events that happened during the time of the Vietnam War. It reminds me of the reflective and introspective writing styles of many great classic authors that I respect and enjoy reading and transports me back in time to the historical period. As the title implies, it’s told from the perspective of a Communist spy who is enlisted in the South Vietnamese army, which you learn right away. I think my biggest takeaway from this novel was that it helped me understand the intensity, politics, violence, context, and aftermath of the war. This is definitely a novel that requires more mental bandwidth to process - though the writing is sharp and thought-provoking and so many astute observations, it all comes at you at once with intensity.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Relentlessly fast-paced.
Many books have been written about the Vietnam war. We’ve all seen our share of movies too about the subject. The Sympathizer is different in that it’s narrated by a double agent. Building a life with refugees in Los Angeles, he also reports back to his communist superiors in Vietnam. The story is told in jarring episodic bursts of storytelling. At one point, I had to go back to make sure my Kindle did not jump to another book because all of a sudden the characters are engaged in making a movie about the Vietnam experience. This was a very weird, surreal part of the novel. The portrayal of the events and how the the Vietnamese were represented was at once front and center, and also an afterthought. The entire book is push/pull. Some events are highly detailed and graphic and then the author lures you back in through a comical interchange. It’s hard from me to describe the story because the frenetic energy of the storytelling keeps you moving forward even though you’re not sure what you just read! But, even though it seemed like work to keep things straight, I did enjoy the reading experience. It should be mentioned that it’s won a ton of awards. Have you read it? There is a sequel out if you enjoyed this one.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Brilliant, Engaging, and fin
I loved this book. If you savor fine writing you’ll very likely find this book is a masterpiece. The writing is ingenious, highly creative. Absolutely brilliant. This is a beautifully crafted piece of art and a highly engaging story. Full of intrigue and fascination. I’ve read this book twice just to bask in its brilliance.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com