A review by jaclyncrupi
Afterparties by Anthony Veasna So

4.0

I always pay attention to the published works of writers mentored by George Saunders and Dana Spiotta at Syracuse. Any writer who elects to do a MFA with them (and gets in) is one I’m interested in. What So builds so powerfully here in this extraordinary collection is the sense of the pain and distress caused by intergenerational trauma. His insights into the Cambodian American lived experience are deep and nuanced. Surviving genocide leaves long-lasting impressions and deep seeded pain and somehow So gets this onto the page. These stories are those of the children of these immigrants and we feel their joy, their guilt, their pain, their loss. So’s commentary on class is pointed and perfect. The queer lives on the pages in this collection read with an authenticity that is beautiful to behold. I love a collection that tells a larger story and paints a kaleidoscopic portrait.