The result is a constant sense of guilt and fear as we follow a person who is truly alone in a dangerous time.Ī major issue I had was the story’s female characters. This book is far from action-packed, but it has a few moments of intensity that Nguyen places perfectly in the plot. The protagonist reminded me of Breaking Bad ’s Walter White in that I was rooting for him until he started doing terrible things. Though I wasn’t doing any research as I read, I did learn more about the war than I ever did in 7th grade social studies. I could hardly know less about the Vietnam War from the American perspective-and I know nothing about the points of view of both sides in Vietnam. One important note is the story’s format: it’s a frame story, with many chapters addressed to “my dear Commandant.” It’s clear that the narrator is writing as a sort of confession to someone, but for much of the story this plays a small role. Keeping track of alliances and important characters was tricky at first, but I found myself caring for the cast quickly. Nguyen’s writing is clever and information-packed without bogging you down. The unnamed protagonist is a communist agent deep undercover among the South Vietnamese army during a period of transition-people are fleeing a dangerous country by any means and at great costs, and the story’s narrator is among them as he makes his way to California with his would-be compatriots. Re-readability: While I enjoyed this book, I think I’d sooner turn to nonfiction on the Vietnam WarĪt its core, The Sympathizer (which won the 2016 Pulitzer prize for fiction) is a noir fiction. “Don’t you see that Americans need the anti-American? While it is better to be loved than hated, it is also better to be hated than ignored.” ~ Viet Thanh Nguyen, The Sympathizer

The sympathizer book review