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andythemancandy's review against another edition
4.0
“I wonder if that’s all you can see about someone, their outline. I wonder what will end up as mine.”
vivekisms's review against another edition
5.0
To be diverse in reading is one of the greatest joys according to me. You read diversely and you are aware about so much that goes on – and not just that, I think to some extent it also perhaps makes you a better person.
Afterparties: Stories by Anthony Veasna So is one such book. A book that makes you see people differently, their lives perhaps with a little more empathy, and more than anything else, I felt some of the stories hit harder as a gay man. Sexuality in these stories is subtle and yet makes such a huge impact on the reader.
The stories in this collection are so diverse, and from the same community – the Cambodian Americans. From “Three Women of Chuck’s Donuts” where these women are seen fighting, talking, and reading Wittgenstein behind the window of their bakery in wee hours, trying desperately hard to make sense of their identity while being stuck, to “Generational Differences”, where a survivor of the Khmer Rouge has also witnessed a school shooting, and is only doing her best to raise her son differently and without any further trauma, these stories become more than just being tragic.
At the same time, these stories speak of renewal, of healing, of finding solace in the mundane and the monotonous. So’s people are mostly queer, angry, romantic, hopeful, and displaced – survivors of the genocide, trying to find their way in the world.
Afterparties is a collection of stories that is predictable, also unassuming sometimes, and lets its characters explore detours and various twists in the tale through the complexities of their cultural identity. Please read it.
*Anthony Veasno So died from a drug overdose in 2020. He was twenty-eight years old.
Afterparties: Stories by Anthony Veasna So is one such book. A book that makes you see people differently, their lives perhaps with a little more empathy, and more than anything else, I felt some of the stories hit harder as a gay man. Sexuality in these stories is subtle and yet makes such a huge impact on the reader.
The stories in this collection are so diverse, and from the same community – the Cambodian Americans. From “Three Women of Chuck’s Donuts” where these women are seen fighting, talking, and reading Wittgenstein behind the window of their bakery in wee hours, trying desperately hard to make sense of their identity while being stuck, to “Generational Differences”, where a survivor of the Khmer Rouge has also witnessed a school shooting, and is only doing her best to raise her son differently and without any further trauma, these stories become more than just being tragic.
At the same time, these stories speak of renewal, of healing, of finding solace in the mundane and the monotonous. So’s people are mostly queer, angry, romantic, hopeful, and displaced – survivors of the genocide, trying to find their way in the world.
Afterparties is a collection of stories that is predictable, also unassuming sometimes, and lets its characters explore detours and various twists in the tale through the complexities of their cultural identity. Please read it.
*Anthony Veasno So died from a drug overdose in 2020. He was twenty-eight years old.
lavieemilyrose's review against another edition
5.0
This story collection is so unflinchingly and beautifully alive, so tender, so devoted. I feel at a disservice describing it, so I’ll just encourage everyone to read it.
jillybebe's review against another edition
4.0
Unquestionable talent. Some of the stories could use the bold hand of an editor. But the talent is unquestionably there. What a sad loss.
poopyfacemcpoopypants's review against another edition
I just didn’t get it or find any of the stories funny. So, I just don’t think it’s for me!
tuckermeijer's review against another edition
3.0
A super cohesive collection which I appreciated. Most stories were just not memorable. Last 3 were excellent though
saraharon's review against another edition
4.0
[hella] good if you’re a certain breed of Asian-California. The writing might be cringey at times if you don’t fit that demographic
I’d still highly recommend this short story collection for a look into the Cambodian diaspora in the US. Underlying stories of competitive high school badminton and Hennessy fueled house parties, Anthony Veasna So sheds light on the collective trauma caused by the Cambodian genocide, and how this continues to shape Cambodian communities in California. He also frequently raises the question of “what does it mean to be Khmer” for 2nd or 3rd generation Americans. In California, many of us struggle to come to terms with similar identity crises. But few of us are able to put those feelings into as engaging stories as in “Afterparties.” Nearly every journey in this book is funny and dark and yes, often cringey in the way California culture can often be. His characters are deeply flawed but also brilliant and lovable and I often wished I had just a few more pages to spend with each one. This is definitely a book I would return to when missing a bit of the Bay.
If you don’t buy the book, definitely check out the first story “Three Women of Chucks Donuts” which was first published in the New Yorker
I’d still highly recommend this short story collection for a look into the Cambodian diaspora in the US. Underlying stories of competitive high school badminton and Hennessy fueled house parties, Anthony Veasna So sheds light on the collective trauma caused by the Cambodian genocide, and how this continues to shape Cambodian communities in California. He also frequently raises the question of “what does it mean to be Khmer” for 2nd or 3rd generation Americans. In California, many of us struggle to come to terms with similar identity crises. But few of us are able to put those feelings into as engaging stories as in “Afterparties.” Nearly every journey in this book is funny and dark and yes, often cringey in the way California culture can often be. His characters are deeply flawed but also brilliant and lovable and I often wished I had just a few more pages to spend with each one. This is definitely a book I would return to when missing a bit of the Bay.
If you don’t buy the book, definitely check out the first story “Three Women of Chucks Donuts” which was first published in the New Yorker
anaesthetics's review against another edition
5.0
So good. Every story was so real, so different to any other fiction. I read it and wanted to start over and read it again.
evaribaker's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this collection of stories, focused on characters identifying as Cambodian-American. I’m ashamed to admit that I know very little about the plight of Cambodian people, other than general brush strokes about the Khmer Rouge and genocide. I didn’t know, for example, that a lot of Cambodian refugees were resettled in Stockton, CA, the setting of many of these stories. I got to the end of this collection and felt excitement about reading more from the author; whose voice and perspective were so fresh and interesting. I was shocked and saddened to read that he died of a drug overdose before the collection was released. It’s worth picking up this collection. Though he is gone, his voice and work deserve to be heard and read.