Book Review | The Sympathizer 

I absolutely loved this novel. It's so layered and is definitely a book to be discussed. I read it for my book club 2 years ago. We also had the pleasure of meeting the Viet than Nyguyen in Paris. I don't know if you were aware but the second book is coming out next year. It's called The Committed.

So glad you loved this novel. I too felt it has so much to say that it was hard to take in, in just one reading. I have not watched the Ken Burns doc but I probably should, avoided it as I was afraid of all the memories it would invoke. As someone who is much older than you I was in college during this conflict and my college boyfriend was just returned (he was a translator Canadian/French and had very strong opinions about the war from a less than an American view) so I continue to try to understand this conflict from more than U.S. perspective. You are so right in saying it is layered. The characters duel loyalties were what hooked me the most. Hard to really find the emotion or to sympathize as his true self was divided. But I did feel the author did a great job in presenting a story which showed this so well. I too hope more people will read it not just for a story about Vietnam but to show that history always has multiple sides/points of view. As Julian Barnes put it so well in The Sense of An Ending--"History is the lies of the victors..and is produced at the point where the imperfections of memory meet the inadequacies of documentation."

[SPOILERS] That second half, especially when the structure of writing changes, was the most important and most interesting part of the book. It reminds me of 1984 but I have to say the torture scenes in this book were more vivid and disturbing. Especially the end when he refers to himself in the plural form was genius.

Thank you for this review!! I very much agree that this is a book that would do well to experience in a classroom to be discussed and dissected. I thought the writing here was beautiful and I really think I need to reread it (your points about the film portion have got me thinking). My main struggle here was with the rep. of women - especially the rape scene. I just have no time for them anymore tbh, especially when they feel graphic and gratuitous and make a point that could've been made any other way. It really soured the whole reading experience for me.

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So I am feeling like I read a different book! I did not admire or enjoy this novel (not that all books, especially ones on such serious topics are meant for enjoyment). But detached is a good word for my reading experience. I never felt connected to the characters, and I did not feel it should have won the Pulitzer. But I am glad to hear other people found it worthwhile.

The only comedy ever written about the Vietnam war. I will never sell this book.