Reviews with content warning for Murder - The Sympathiser

Reviews tagging 'Murder'

The Sympathiser by Viet Thanh Nguyen

102 reviews

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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stalfos's review against another edition

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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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teacherseth's review against another edition

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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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jessica_lam's review against another edition

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challenging dark slow-paced

3.25

This was a challenging read, and perhaps because of it, I'm giving it a lower rating than it deserves. It's beautifully written but truly overtook my entire summer in terms of reading. The last fifth, in particular, was tough to get through and left a bitter taste in my mouth.

The main character is an exploration of being stuck between two worlds - being a person of mixed race, working undercover, away from his home country... The book is written entirely from his perspective as an extremely unreliable narrator. Events unfold in largely chronological order, with a detailed scene at the end that, frankly, was not as shocking perhaps for me because, well, I think all women have a very implicit understanding of what happens to women in war. To the point where it felt more gratuitous than impactful.

As much a psychological drama as it is historical fiction, The Sympathizer feels simultaneously like an important read but also empty. Or perhaps it made me feel empty. I'm glad I read it, but I wouldn't consider it a pleasant experience.

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