The Sympathizer (The Sympathizer, #1) in Tackling the Pulitzer Prize Winners!

Apr 26, 2020 Roy rated it really liked it

Shelves: war

The Sympathizer is a skillfully written book, primarily a novel of ideas. It explores the nature of being two sided. The narrator is the product of a French father and Vietnamese mother. As an adult after being schooled in America he becomes a spy, towing the line between identity as a Capitalist American and a Communist who will never spiritually leave his homeland. He is both unfeeling and remorseful, a sensitive soul and a cold blooded killer, a loyal friend and a lone wolf, the conqueror and The Sympathizer is a skillfully written book, primarily a novel of ideas. It explores the nature of being two sided. The narrator is the product of a French father and Vietnamese mother. As an adult after being schooled in America he becomes a spy, towing the line between identity as a Capitalist American and a Communist who will never spiritually leave his homeland. He is both unfeeling and remorseful, a sensitive soul and a cold blooded killer, a loyal friend and a lone wolf, the conqueror and the conquered, Western and Eastern, Caucasian and Asian. While these ideas are interesting to examine and they are explored with beautiful command of language, this was not a book that generated much emotional attachment. My favorite types of novels are those that wrestle with ideas while also providing characters who we relate to and care for, so that as the writer places them in various situations such as falling in love or being betrayed or finding themselves in mortal danger, we readers are caught up in the moments because in reading these stories we are temporarily living vicariously through the the protagonists. With The Sympathizer there was an emotional distance between what was happening to the narrator and my reaction to it. I don't know for certain but suspect that having all of us connect to him is not the author's prime objective. The narrator is primarily a vehicle through which Viet Thanh Nguyen drives home his points about what is worth living for rather than dying for. It features a twist that you may or may not find shocking, but this is not so much a book of plot (aka what happens) than of philosophy (aka why it happens and if the reason even matters). A novel I would compare it to in tone and beyond is Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man. Both are masterfully written. Both give us plenty to mentally chew on. I recently read another spy novel, American Spy by Lauren Wilkinson. Wilkinson is less poetic and inventive and playful with tongue in or out of cheek metaphors than Viet Thanh Nguyen, and while I enjoyed her debut novel, a main complaint I had about American Spy is that it was too uneventful for what I wanted from a spy story. Perhaps I'm spoiled by James Bond movies and so expected wall to wall action. The Sympathizer delivers more than American Spy in that regards, particularly in the closing section which features the best written torture scene I can recall since reading William Goldman's magnificent Marathon Man years ago. I suppose I should caution readers who steer clear of graphic violence on page that The Sympathizer is probably not the book for them. It is nevertheless a worthy Pulitzer Prize for Fiction winner, putting me one step closer in my quest to read all of them.

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Apr 28, 2015 Shaun rated it it was amazing

Shelves: modern-literature-existentialism, lady-gentlemen-s-second-tuesday

There be great depth in these waters. Well worth the time. Read slowly to enjoy the author's ability to turn a phrase. ...more

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Dec 23, 2022 Kristel rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: vietnam, espionage, library, 21st-century-canon

Reason read: Asian Diaspora. Author Viet Thanh Nguyen is a Vietnamese/American author. Born in Vietnam and living in the US. This his debut novel is the story of an unnamed narrator who is an immigrant and a spy. The book covers many issues; immigrant, mystery, political, metafiction, dark comedic, historical, spy, and war.

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Jul 22, 2016 Joyce rated it liked it

Shelves: audible

Interesting story about a Vietnamese man who is a double agent. There is, however, a pretentiousness to the writing that distracts from the tale.

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Jun 04, 2016 Shatterlings rated it really liked it

Shelves: prize-winners

This isn't an easy read but it does reward the perseverance. It's also interesting to read about the Vietnam war from a different perspective. It reminds me a lot of Catch 22 in its use of satire to make a point about wars. ...more

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