The Sympathiser by Viet Thanh Nguyen

399 pages first pub 2015 (editions)

fiction historical literary thriller challenging dark tense slow-paced

Description

A profound, startling, and beautifully crafted debut novel, The Sympathizer is the story of a man of two minds, someone whose political beliefs clash with his individual loyalties. It is April 1975, and Saigon is in chaos. At his villa, a general ...

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Community Reviews Summary of 7,377 reviews

Moods

dark 84%
challenging 65%
tense 54%
reflective 49%
emotional 35%
funny 29%
sad 28%
informative 27%
adventurous 24%
mysterious 15%
hopeful 2%
inspiring 2%

Pace

slow 50%
medium 43%
fast 5%

Plot- or character-driven?

A mix: 51% | Character: 41% | Plot: 7%

Strong character development?

Yes: 59% | It's complicated: 33% | No: 6%

Loveable characters?

It's complicated: 54% | No: 31% | Yes: 12% | N/A: 1%

Diverse cast of characters?

Yes: 80% | It's complicated: 8% | No: 8% | N/A: 2%

Flaws of characters a main focus?

Yes: 77% | It's complicated: 18% | No: 3%

Average rating

4.0

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