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A review by champagneghost
The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen
3.0
"I was the kind bothered less by sinning than by unoriginality" Nguyen's unnamed protagonist proudly states, and this particular habit of Nguyen mars what would have been a truly spectacular book.
Nguyen is clearly interested in writing a book with an original voice but the end result comes off as being overwritten. Lines like "I liked my scotch like I liked my truth, undiluted" and "...this woman whose divine figure was the symbol of infinity turned upright onto its rounded bottom" made me roll my eyes so much that when the book was due at the library and I was only 2/3 of the way through, I was ready to just let it go. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I did end up getting it from the library again and am glad I eventually finished it. Despite the eye rolling, a lot of what Nguyen was saying also resonated with me -- I found myself nodding emphatically in agreement/recognition at bits like, "If you do not claim America, if America is not in your heart, America will throw you into a concentration camp or a reservation or a plantation." Ultimately, what Nguyen is saying is important & powerful enough to combat how he says it.
Nguyen is clearly interested in writing a book with an original voice but the end result comes off as being overwritten. Lines like "I liked my scotch like I liked my truth, undiluted" and "...this woman whose divine figure was the symbol of infinity turned upright onto its rounded bottom" made me roll my eyes so much that when the book was due at the library and I was only 2/3 of the way through, I was ready to just let it go. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I did end up getting it from the library again and am glad I eventually finished it. Despite the eye rolling, a lot of what Nguyen was saying also resonated with me -- I found myself nodding emphatically in agreement/recognition at bits like, "If you do not claim America, if America is not in your heart, America will throw you into a concentration camp or a reservation or a plantation." Ultimately, what Nguyen is saying is important & powerful enough to combat how he says it.