The Sympathizer by Viet Nhanh Nguyen is both horrific and brilliant, the narrative so strong it carries you along as if the writing were effortless, and its stylish quirks become strengths. Once settled into this “confession” I became mesmerized, unwilling to stop reading despite the unflinching, razor sharp description. The main character’s dual nationality and opposing political positions force him to repress his humanity while at the same time trying to realize and celebrate it.
One note of caution: the book description has the phrase “a moving love story.” That’s a bit misleading, maybe designed to hook readers who would normally shy away from this sort of narrative. The Sympathizer is a well-deserved 2016 Pulitzer Prize winner, and there are many analyses online that do a much better job than my description here: It’s about VietNam. 1975.
