Reviews tagging 'Torture'

The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen

146 reviews

rutabagab's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny informative mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Confinement, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Excrement, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Alcohol, and War

I loved this book UP until the last 3-5 chapters. Finishing it was difficult bc it threw me for a disturbing AF loop.

thaotle's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Police brutality, Colonisation, and War

dreadpiraterudis's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective 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

5.0

Such a breathtaking read. Engaging, painful, poignant and just a fucking good book. It engages with politics, philosophy, history and media through a protagonist who felt so alive. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Blood, Police brutality, Trafficking, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Cultural appropriation, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Deportation

girljames's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Fascinating insight into Vietnamese politics, and the war and its fallout from a Vietnamese perspective. Compelling, sympathetic main character. Pretty horrific ending.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Rape, and Torture

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship and Alcoholism

Minor: Colonisation

lanna2000's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Wow I’m just getting into literary historical fiction and this is my first book on the Vietnam War. Been a minute since I took a while to finish a book but this one was DENSE. Had no idea where this book was going the entire time but I was hooked. It went thru so many different story arcs and when the ending hit i was surprised how dark everything was revealed. Very hard to rate bc while I enjoyed the majority of the novel, the end threw me for a loop and I didn’t enjoy the graphic and long r*** scene but I understand the relevance. I personally prefer content without those graphic scenes especially when the writer is too good with their descriptions. Def going to sit with this one for a bit and develop more opinions. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Torture, Violence, and War

jennymwoo's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark funny hopeful 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

4.0

This novel is hard to review because it's so many different books in one. There's the war novel, the refugee novel, and the social critique. The tone veers from serious to hilarious in the blink of an eye, which sometimes works and sometimes doesn't. The first part of the novel reminds me of South Park in both its satire and its crudeness (Exhibit A: the squid scene). Then we take a detour into Apocalypse Now territory before concluding with an ending reminiscent of 1984. It's a lot, and not all of it works as well as it could 
However, at its heart is a powerful tale of three best friends and the secrets and sacrifices that bind them together. That novel is five stars all the way. 

(Did I reduce my rating because of the lack of quotation marks? No, but it was very confusing in the beginning figuring out the difference between dialogue and narration. If a grammar snob like me can get past that, it must be a book worth reading.)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape and Torture

Moderate: Body horror, Racism, and Violence

Minor: Adult/minor relationship and Alcoholism

Content Warning: The end of the book contains graphic depictions of torture and rape. While not gratuitous, it is disturbing.

annachristy's review against another edition

dark informative reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape and Torture

stalfos's review against another edition

challenging dark funny medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Alcohol, Colonisation, and War

Moderate: Cursing, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Alcoholism and Death of parent

teacherseth's review against another edition

challenging dark funny hopeful tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I liked this book, but at times it was hard to get through. I appreciated it greatly for what it was most intended: a reeducation of the Vietnam war, one that I did not live through but always heard about from an American perspective. The darkly comedic tone was good, but the writing was a bit overdone at times. 

Trigger warning: the torture scenes are intense.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Torture, Violence, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and War

entommoore's review against another edition

challenging dark tense slow-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Rape, Sexual assault, and Torture

Moderate: Racism, Death of parent, and War

Minor: Alcoholism and Vomit